Stakes and Leather
by cgaussie01
Summary: In a world of vampires and werewolves, Roxanne is shown the other side of Metro City when she is saved by a blue alien who slays vampires for a living. There's action, comedy, romance, and family values dotted throughout. I do hope you enjoy the story.
1. Alien in Black

The street was abandoned, the pavement beneath her boots slick and wet from a brief shower earlier that hour. There was the smell of rain still thick in the air, a smell that Roxanne normally took great fondness in, but she was far too preoccupied to really take notice of something that brought her calm when her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to leap out of her chest and explode in the open air.

Tonight had been going so well, too.

She had just accomplished achieving a raise from work, moved up the corporate ladder, and as such she had felt it was a decent enough reason to head out and celebrate with friends. Family lived far too away, but the encouraging words from her mother and father over the telephone had brought her a strong sense of pride and achievement.

So off they had gone, she and a select few of her work mates... and one extra that she could have done without.

"I tell ya Roxie, I told ya," Hal, a red haired chubby man who tended to gravitate towards her whenever possible at work, said as he held a glass tightly in his hand, "I told ya that you'd climb that corporate ladder lickity split."

"Thanks, Hal." Roxanne had smiled her best 'no of course you're not bothering me why would you be bothering me' smile.

"Just between you 'n me I don't mind watching gals climb the ladder either. Especially when they wear skirts! Ha ha!" Hal lifted his hand, anticipating a high five from those around him. But when he got none he turned it into an elaborate scratch to the back of his head, and busied himself with his drink.

Despite Hal inviting himself, Roxanne had enjoyed herself. The bar they had chosen was fancy enough to get some really nice drinks but casual enough that they could dance on a dance floor set up not too far from the bar. It wasn't overly packed at first, but as the night wore on more people began to filter in after a hard working week.

She had found herself dancing against some tall, able bodied man, who had smiled at her in a suave manner which made her cheeks flush. He was very handsome, with thick blond hair and clear blue eyes. What was his name? They didn't exchange them, but he seemed very keen on her the way he danced against her, and bought her a few drinks.

Hal had glared at the guy from his seat at the bar for the entirety of the evening until he had left in a huff, and driven off alone.

While she wasn't plastered, Roxanne knew she wasn't fit to drive herself home. Hal had already left and he was normally her wheels, since being her new cameraman it was his job. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt bad for snubbing him the way she had, but he just creeped her out sometimes... unlike the blond man who was walking with her outside in order to wait for a cab to come on by.

That's when things had started to get interesting. The man had pulled her close when she had commented on how cold it was, and while it did feel nice she didn't feel any warmer than before. But the sentiment was appreciated, and soon her arms were up around his shoulders and she was acting like a drunk, horny teenager.

His hands gripped at her back, and her rear, which made her heartbeat quickly within her chest. It almost felt as though this encouraged him since he began to knead his hands against her body, pulling her in close as he kissed her full on the mouth. It was a brief affair, however, since he began to kiss down her chin to her neck.

Why was he so cold to touch though? Even his lips on her skin weren't warm and soft, but cold. He was gripping at her far too closely now, enough that it hurt, and Roxanne suddenly had a shudder run through her body that made her body feel as cold as his was. Roxanne knew self-defence, and strong-minded woman of the day should, and she had soon pushed him off of her.

Red eyes had replaced blue ones, and his skin had turned a sickening pale that she only managed to pick up since he had stumbled backwards into a street light. Then his mouth opened, revealing his teeth had become sharp and pointed at some point, and hissed at her like an animal. Instinct for survival kicked in and after staring at him in shock for but a few short moments, Roxanne turned and ran down the street.

The pavement was wet and slick, and the heels she was wearing were not meant for running. So despite the panic rushing through her veins when she suddenly tripped and fell over, she had almost anticipated it. Roxanne cried out as she tripped and fell, but not so much as when she rolled over to see the once handsome man practically leaping onto her. She screamed, shut her eyes, and turned her head away to block the inevitable pain she was no doubt about to endure.

The black boot seemed to come out of nowhere, connected with the man's jaw, and sent him flying and crashing to the floor.

Roxanne, having not felt the cold jaws of death gripping at her, opened one eye to peer at the world. What she saw she didn't expect. Someone was standing between herself and her attacker, and from the looks of her protector she had no chance. He was incredibly skinny, wearing black leather from head to foot. His coat was billowing in the soft breeze of the night and his head covered in a black hat making it impossible to see the back of his head.

"You dare!" snarled the fallen adversary, getting to his feet and she could see where he had been struck on his jaw. "You dare get between a man and his meal?"

"Oh I dare all right," replied her savoir, readying his fists as if he was about to enter a bout of fisty-cuffs. "And if she's your meal, then you have terrible table manners!" he added boldly.

This enraged her attacker who was up on his feet and leaping at the man same as before. But the stranger twirled, faster than Roxanne had anticipated, and once more his large boot came in contact with the mans head. It kicked him away, and this time he crashed into a wall and fell down to the ground with a slump but he didn't stay down at all, he was back onto his feet and growling in anger. "Quick for a freak."

"Tough for a freakier... freak." shot back her saviour as he boldly walked towards him, stance reading one of confidence. "Come on then. I should be no match for you at all!"

One growl later the attacker had leapt at him, one arm swinging either to claw or punch him. But that arm was grabbed, and his attack was turned back on him, and he was driven down into the ground. Roxanne was sure she heard a snapping sound, and she looked away but not for long. Her curious streak had her looking back seconds later and what she saw alarmed her far more than when she was being chased by a man with sharp teeth.

The man on the floor was now pale as a ghost, his eyes red and no iris' to speak of. His hair had become white too, and his skin was taunt and ugly to behold. How had he once been handsome? Those jaws were open in a savage snarl, his teeth protruding, sharp and pointed. But the one standing above him is what gave Roxanne even more reason to be alarmed. His skin was blue as the day sky, eyes a fierce green that pierced the darkness, and his head was swollen in size.

"I wondered when I'd run into _you_..." hissed her ex-date, voice distorted and sounded like it should belong to the little girl in the Exorcist.

"Hope you weren't waiting too long, I do so hate being late for special occasions." sniped her rescuer as he pulled something from under his jacket, something she couldn't see. "Give my regards to the afterlife." he said and the next thing she knew he had slammed something down into the man's chest.

Light suddenly erupted from the fallen man from the point of impact. There was no blood, despite there being something lodged right where his heart would be. The man withered for a second and screamed in silence before being consumed by the light, and suddenly erupted into a plume of ash that was shot skywards before being caught by the wind. Not even his clothes had survived the onslaught. It was as if he had never existed.

Roxanne felt as though her eyes would never return to their regular size, and stared in horror at what she had just witnessed. Surely this couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of a dream brought on by the drinks in her system, by the closeness of the bar. This, this was a dream. No, a nightmare. A hallucination. She was too drunk! She should never have drunk as much as she had... why didn't she think of freaked out hallucinations happening before?

"Oh _man_ I got some of him on my boots." complained the man with blue skin, lifting a foot to glare at the muck sticking to the heel of it.

"What... what..." Roxanne breathed shakily, heart still racing.

He spun around on his heels suddenly, eyes wide in alarm. "Oh! Sorry, almost forgot you were there. I kind of get carried away when I run into one of those guys, you know?"

Roxanne stared at him, unmoving still.

"...You're still freaking out aren't you?" he asked with a small, awkward chuckle. "Yeah sorry. It'd probably do you better if you just forget this."

"Forget this?" Roxanne asked her first suitable sentence since this whole thing had begun. "Forget? You just- he just- was he a-"

"Vampire? Yes." replied the man was he walked over to her and squatted before her, placing his gloved hands to his knees. "And yes, Vampires exist. No they don't sparkle. No they can't go out in the sunlight. Yes they can walk into Churches. No, they do cast a reflection. They can be _very_ hard to spot, and you have to know what you're looking for unless you want to steak a normal person and that is a no-no." he gestured to himself. "For one you get blood everywhere, and getting blood out of your clothing is _not_ as easy as you'd think it is!"

Roxanne stared at him, before looking back to where the fallen... well, vampire had been. "So..." she looked back at him, "How does that explain... you?"

"I'm a hunter." he said proudly, "Raised from a baby to know what I was doing."

"Why are you blue, then? Is that war paint?" she asked.

"Pfttttt. No. It's my skin." he replied as he smacked one of his cheek with the palm of his hand. "Anyway." he got to his feet and worked out a kink in his shoulder. "You should get home."

She agreed. What Roxanne needed was a good soak in her bath, a headache tablet, and her bed. She struggled to get to her feet and hissed when she realized she had sprained her ankle. Reaching out she leaned against the wall, and was surprised to see how many bricks had been knocked loose by the small battle she had witnessed. A fair number of them were on the floor, while a couple were half hanging out of the brick wall, refusing to fall and kept their place by way of the cement mix used to put them there in the first place.

"Ooh. That's gotta hurt." he said as he observed her swollen ankle. "You live far then?"

"Far enough I can't walk it." Roxanne said quietly, wondering just how she had become so at ease talking to a blue man wearing black leather who had just killed a man in front of her. Maybe watching Buffy when she was a teenager had paid off, and dulled the shock? Who knew?

"Eh. It wouldn't be fitting for me to rescue a damsel in distress then desert her." mused the man, stroking at a small goatee that lived quite happily on his pointed chin. She could see he was considering things, weighing pros and cons.

That's when a black car pulled up besides them on the road, and the back door was opened from within. "Well hello good looking," said a voice from the front seat. "Need a lift?"

Roxanne wondered just who this question was being asked of, but if it wasn't at her why wasn't the one behind the wheel freaking out at seeing a blue skinned man? The man in question laughed, and clapped his hands together. "Yes! Oh Minion, thank you, you fantastic fish you!" he grinned before turning to look at her, the grin being replaced with a look of great concern. "Now you're about to see something you probably haven't seen before. If you freak out and faint on us that's fine, just letting you know I'll be looking in your purse to find out where you live so we can at least drop you off at the right place. All right then?" he asked brightly.

"All... right?" Roxanne asked. "But before I go climbing into anybody's car," she said, "What do I call you?"

He blinked, a little surprised that she had asked. But then he smiled and tilted his head slightly. "Megamind. You don't have to ask why, surely."

"...no, I guess not..."

He took her hand into his and he wrapped her arm around his shoulders while his other arm wrapped around her waist, helping her into the car. Roxanne mumbled a thank you as she slid into the back seat and turned her head to the person in the front seat, and felt herself freeze when she realized it wasn't a person at all. It was a fish. A green, glowing fish on a robot body. She couldn't see much of the body from the back seat but it looked like it had been made from scrap pieces of metal mixed with brown fur.

The fish was looking at her, its golden eyes locked on her with an intense look of judgement.

"Let's go Minion. Now where do you live?" asked the man in leather.

Roxanne gave her address without taking her eyes off of the fish named Minion.

The fish turned around in his bowl of water that he called his home, and actually began to drive.

"You're taking this far better than I thought you would to be totally honest. I would have had expected you to pass out at any-" he stopped when Roxanne suddenly checked out, and slumped back in her seat. "-moment." he finished and sighed. "Oh well. She lasted longer than anyone else has."

"Shall we use the forget-me-gas on her then, Sir?" Minion asked as he drove through the city streets.

"I don't-hey! This is Roxanne Ritchi!" Megamind declared. "OH my gosh I didn't even realize it was her!"

"Roxanne Ritchi?" the fish peered in the rear view mirror of the car, looking at the unconsious woman in the back seat. She was just another saved victim who would go on to chalk up their altercations to a bad dream brought on by bad digestion. "Huh. So it is."

"How did I not notice this?" Megamind asked, slapping his forehead with his hand. "Duh!"

"You were kind of busy killing the vampire, Sir." Minion pointed out as he made a right turn.

"Well of course, naturally, but come on now! She's only the greatest on the spot reporter for Channel 8! And I hear tell she's being allotted more time on screen, maybe that's why she was out tonight?" Megamind was mostly talking to himself now as he watched the brunette doze in the back seat of his car. "I never thought I'd have a celebrity in my car..."

"All the more reason to wipe her memory, Sir. What if she starts... alerting people to our existence? It would undo all that we've worked for." Minion said as he checked where he was on his navigational GPS on the dashboard. "The last thing you want is getting a swollen head. No pun intended, Sir."

"I'm sure." Megamind replied dryly.

"Well, here we are!" Minion declared as they parked outside the apartment complex.

Megamind scooted over Roxanne in order to peer up at the tall complex, and whistled. "Whoa. High living."

"Well she _is_ an anchor, Sir. No doubt her salary doubles, if not triples our own." Minion said as, he too, peered up at the building.

"Hmm." Megamind nodded sagely before looking at his wristwatch, and began twisting it rapidly in his hands. "Well best drop her off then. Without alerting anyone to my presence. _Like a ninja._"

"Yes sir, like a ninja." Minion rolled his eyes.

When Megamind stepped out of the car you would not see a leather clad, blue skinned individual with a huge head. Instead you saw a regular run off the mill man wearing a black suit, had pale white skin, and thick black hair with a matching goatee. He reached into the car and with more strength than his stature should be capable of, lifted her out of the car and carried her up to the complex.

The security man stared as this stranger carried Miss Ritchi in, but was even more alarmed when he turned to look at him.

"I'm afraid she had a little too much to drink last night!" the stranger said, "Poor thing even twisted her ankle. Now I'm not sure what floor is hers, or which apartment, but I know this is her place. Take care of her for me?" he asked.

Carlos nodded and came out from behind the security desk. "Yes of course..."

Megamind knew he should have sprayed her as he was setting her down on the chair. It was common practice, after you save somebody you give them a little dose of the forget-me-spray and they would continue to live their lives safe in the knowledge that vampires were a thing of fancy and that blue skinned aliens dressed in leather didn't go running around the city killing any and all of them that dare show their fangs. Yet as he set her on the chair, and casually brushed some of her hair out of her face, he missed his chance.

"So?" Minion asked, as Megamind climbed into the passenger seat and turned off his disguise generator.

"Hm?" Megamind asked, pulling on a seat belt.

"Did you do it?" Minion asked, looking at his boss.

"Oh yes, yes." Megamind replied with a wave of his hand, "All done."

Minion gave his boss a good look before nodding his fish body. "Right then. Off we go!" he started up the engine again, and the black car drove off into the city and soon blended with the rest of the morning traffic.

_To be continued_


	2. After Twilight

Minion normally had little to no say in just where or when he and his friend worked, but he really hated it when it involved crouching in bushes and having ticks crawling all over his body. Even if he couldn't feel them per say, he could certainly imagine what it felt like to have bugs crawling all over you while you sat there. It was a testament to their training that they could lay in waiting like this for hours if need be, and just how Megamind could sit behind him with a huge spider clinging to the back of his head without freaking out.

"Sir, are you sure they're going to be coming this way?" Minion asked in hushed tones.

"Yes, every week like clockwork. Tonight I get him. Now be quiet." Megamind hissed back, reaching out and placed his hand over the glass dome where Minion's mouth would be.

The fish sighed and settled himself at the base of his dome and watched the world. It was dark, the moon was full, and the lush green trees and bushes of the botanical gardens in Metro City truly were a wonder to behold. It could be called romantic, if you were into that sort of thing. Megamind and Minion were not here to take in the beauty of the greenery, but the hunting of a vampire that Megamind had been tailing for the past few weeks. Seemed as though the vampire was 'playing with his food' since he had selected a teenage girl as his meal but made it so she was infatuated with him, willing to turn her back on her friends and family to be with him forever, and ever.

It was all quite disgusting, if you got down to it and if you recalled the vampire who looked eighteen was actually at least over two hundred years old.

Finally they spotted them. Seemed like they were having another one of their romantic walks through the gardens, and the young brown haired girl held onto his arm tightly as she rested her head on his shoulder. The vampire in question was, to be honest, quite handsome. He had a firm chiseled jaw, clear blue eyes, wavy brown hair and his skin was a nice creamy color that would remind one of milk. Forgetting the fact he was a blood thirsty murdering sociopath almost made him seem the type of guy any woman, or gay man, would be happy to fall into the arms of.

Minion and Megamind watched as the pair continued their stroll through the trees, and Minion had to wonder just how worried this girls family must be that their daughter had become almost slave like to this man. He turned in his bowl when he had had enough of watching the two and blinked, not at all surprised to see Megamind had vanished at some point during their walk. Despite those big heavy boots Megamind wore, he could be almost totally silent when on the job and that was one of the many things Minion admired about him.

While the fish normally watched the assaults from afar he wasn't totally helpless. He was the back up muscle in case of emergencies, if Megamind was injured or over powered at any point the fish would instantly rush out, and attack the vampire(s) with all the strength that Megamind had installed into his suit. Not only that, but his chest compartments were filled with weaponry that Megamind, and himself, could use against the attackers but they were only used in the most dire of circumstances like that time they had come up against five of the monsters years ago.

"Oh Edwin," sighed the girl as she let her eyes slip shut. "I'm so happy with you..."

"I know Belle." Edwin replied.

"There has been... something I've been wondering about, though." she said, as she lifted her gaze to look up at the incredibly handsome man who had filled her life with so much love and purpose.

"Yes?" he asked, reaching to stroke his finger against her cheek. "What is it?" he smiled that dazzling smile, teeth white and sparkly.

"There's some things I've noticed about you... you're incredibly strong, you don't like being out in the sun, and your skin..." she placed her hand gently over his own for a moment. "It's always so cold, no matter what the weather is like..."

He watched her carefully in the moonlight as he brushed her hair away again, revealing the welcoming pink of her neck in the moonlight. How it had been calling to him for weeks, the beauty of it all but he loved the game more. Seeing them fall so hard, so fast, it was delightful. It seems as though the girl has begun to put one and two together, despite the spell he had placed over her with his looks and charms.

"Hmm...? And...?" he asked casually.

"I've done... a little bit of reading and... well I..." she hesitated, obviously unsure of how to say what was on her mind.

"Go on. You can say." Edwin urged.

"I think you're a..." Belle paused, seemingly for effect combined with her fear, "...a-"

"Vampire?" the third voice broke the silence and romantic scene as the two turned quickly to see somebody else standing there with them in a black trench coat, huge boots, and a hat over his head. "Yeah, pretty much. You might want to back away from him now, unless you want your blood drained from your neck."

Edwin's beautiful face suddenly transformed to something far more hideous, revealing the beastly demeanor beneath his mask. His teeth sharpened, his skin turned a paler shade of white, and he hissed harshly at the man. "_You!_" he snarled, pushing the girl away since she was no longer something he cared for. "You killed my brothers and sisters!"

"Really? I thought you looked familiar." Megamind replied calmly as he began to slowly walk around the vampire. "It must be the nose..."

"I'm going to feast on your blood!" Edwin screamed as he suddenly leaped at the skinny man with blue skin who had become quite renown amongst the vampire community. His hands were ready to grab at the others throat but instead black gloves grabbed his wrists, Megamind rolled backwards, kicked his boots out harshly against Edwin's chest and threw him away. The alien flew, and crashed backwards against a huge tree that was at least one hundred years old and left an indent in the thick wood as he slid to the floor. He didn't stay down for long, scratching to his feet as he hissed again.

"Yeah, the fighting style's familiar too. Predictable." Megamind taunted as he took a few steps back, eyes on his prey who still believed itself to be the hunter.

"N-no, no...!" Belle cried out from where she had been thrown by Edwin, "Please I-I..." her mind, clouded with wanton longing for the handsome boy from her science class suddenly began to unclog itself like a sink. That couldn't be him, could it? Snarling, ugly, and violent? Was he doing it to defend herself or had he really been going to feast on her? How had she allowed herself to fall like that? The realization that her boyfriend _was_ a blood thirsty vampire caused her to scream in horror, but not nearly as much when the vampire ended up being thrown almost on top of her.

"Minion retrieve the hysterical woman!" Megamind ordered and the next thing Belle knew hands were on her shoulders and she was being pulled away from the fight.

"Don't worry miss you'll forget any of this happened soon!" a reassuring voice told her.

"_SHE'S MINE!_" Edwin screamed, and found himself torn. Does he go after the mechanical ape stealing the girl whose blood smelt delicious, or stay with the freak in leather who had slaughtered his siblings? He hadn't eaten in days, and it was obvious by how weak he felt. If he could just get a bite of her, to get some blood into him he might be able to overthrow the freak. Decision made, he ran at the mechanical ape but pain suddenly struck his back and he collapsed, panting heavily.

Megamind stood there, hand still up and holding the weapon. It was a crossbow, black in appearance and had blue and white highlights on its sheath, along with a few spikes here and there. Embedded in Edwin's shoulder were some wood, a stake, and already the vampires blood was pooling from the point of impact. He pulled another stake from where he strapped them to his thigh and loaded the crossbow as the vampire turned and growled at him.

Blinded by rage, and hunger, Edwin stood no chance. He attempted to tackle the alien again, but instead of vengeance for his fallen family he got a stake to the heart. His weight still landed on top of the alien, who stared up into the dying eyes of the vampire who began to wither.

"Say hi to your family for me, and let them know more of you will be joining them." Megamind whispered before Edwin suddenly became nothing but ash, clouding Megamind and the ground in his remains. "Oh GAUGH NOT AGAIN!" he screamed as he rolled to his feet, waving his hands at himself as he tried to get the ash off of his clothes and most importantly out of his mouth where a lot of ash had fallen. "Oh blargh he tastes of chalk and lint!" he shuddered, spitting on the floor.

Minion, meanwhile, was dealing with a hysterical teenager. It wasn't easy learning your boyfriend was a vampire, or that vampire slayers existed and on top of _that_ fish could talk and walk around in mechanical gorilla suits. She wasn't making any sense, only whimpering and mumbling as she looked around in vain for something close to normality.

"Come on Sir, I can hose you off later I need you over here!" Minion called as the girl slapped at his dome in an attempts to get him away from her.

"Right, right-urgh I can feel him in my boots-I'm coming!" the alien hurried over to the girl and pulled out a spray can and shook it vigorously in his hand before holding it in front of the girl and sprayed it. A fine mist enveloped her head, and the panicked whimpering vanished instantly as her eyes glazed over. "Edwin dumped you because he told you he's discovered he's gay and moving to San Francisco tonight. It will hurt for a while, but you'll get over it. You're better off without him. So go on home, now." he instructed the girl, grabbed Minion's wrist, and the two rushed away as the fine mist of forget-met-spray began to slowly fade as it was breathed in by the girl.

Belle eventually came to, and shook her head before touching a hand to her forehead. Edwin was gay? Oh god, she'd turned a guy gay...! She felt horrible, and she needed her mother to hug her. Quickly she got to her feet and ran off, oblivious to the fact she just ran through the remains of her boyfriend as she did.

"Well that was fun!" Minion said as he got into the invisible car.

"Why do I always get coated in their remains?" Megamind asked as he gingerly sat, looking at all the ash that clung to his clothes.

"Somebody's got to." grinned the fish.

Megamind grumbled as he settled back in his seat in the car, crossing his arms over his chest. The car started flawlessly, and drove off into the night since they had yet _another_ lead to follow up on. This was a little worrying for Megamind since he had never known the city to see so many vampire related violence before and he had been living in this city ever since he was a baby. Crash landing in a prison with Minion had meant the start of his life was within those barred walls, but it wasn't long until a man had taken him away from all of that and had introduced him to the sacred position as vampire slayer.

Since then, he and Minion, had been raised and trained in the art of locating, and destroying, the blood suckers. Why, Megamind could still remember his first vampire kill. He had been thirteen years old, gangly as anything but strength where it mattered, and had taken down a child vampire who was well over 500 years old. How proud his father had been at that moment, in fact back home there was a photograph of the teenaged Megamind standing in some ash looking rightly proud of himself despite having a few bruises to his face sitting on the mantle.

"It's worrying, isn't it Sir?" Minion asked as he drove through the almost empty streets of Metro City.

"Hm. I was just thinking that. Stay out of my head Minion, it's creepy." the alien replied with a smile before wiping his hands on a wet towel he kept in a bag in the car in those cases where he got covered in vampire remains. "You're right though, it is worrying. Why are they congregating here? Is there a Vampire Convention? A meeting? Despite all our information, nothing is mentioned of it."

"Unless the information is being intercepted and changed." Minion offered.

"You're so paranoid." Megamind sighed.

"Paranoia is a good thing!" pointed out the fish.

"Of course it is." replied Megamind.

"...my paranoia senses are still wondering if you used the forget-me-spray on Roxanne Ritchi, Sir." Minion said after a moments silence as he drove. "I know you told me you did but I just can't help but shake this feeling..."

Megamind chewed at his bottom lip as he looked away, and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Don't be ridiculous Minion, of course I sprayed her!"

"But when?" he asked, "How could you when you carried her into the lobby? Surely a building like that had a door man or something!"

"Well it didn't. So I did." Megamind replied as smoothly as he could.

"Sir... you know I don't like it when you lie to me." Minion said.

Megamind groaned. "Don't guilt trip me, Minion."

"It can't be a guilt trip if you sprayed her, so since it _is_ a guilt trip to you it's obvious now you _didn't_!" Minion suddenly jerked the car to a park on the side of the road and turned in his seat to look at his friend. "You know how dangerous it is leaving people un-wiped, Sir! They begin to freak out, and what if they spread the news about us? Why, you saw what happened in history didn't you?"

"Yes, yes, I know. I know!" Megamind groaned, rolling his eyes. "We all know that humanity wouldn't be so intoned with the knowledge of vampires if Dracula hadn't been printed and if Van Helsing had done his job and had dealt with everyone involved properly but he didn't! The papers and letters were leaked, the truth revealed. You can't keep clinging to that!" he looked at his friend. "Van Helsing was a visionary in the field, and I respect him just as much as Father does you _know_ that so you don't have to harp on about it!"

"I am not _harping_! I'm just saying that because of one man's mistake the world learned of vampires overnight what had been suppressed since... since the dawn of man kind!" Minion said desperately.

"Oh please." Megamind scoffed. "Japan know of their vampire breeds who can detach their heads from their bodies and that was _long_ before Dracula!"

"Don't start that again." Minion sighed.

"So don't YOU start again!" Megamind snapped back.

"You have to wipe her memory, Sir. It's only right." the fish said, "What would Father say?"

Megamind sat there in his seat, and groaned as he shut his eyes. "I know. I know." he mumbled before opening his eyes. "I'll go see her. Once we have the time but we can't wait too long, what would it do to her mind to loose an entire week or more of her life?" he asked, looking to Minion.

"Good point. Our top priority, after dealing with the next problem, is go see Miss. Ritchi. Deal?" Minion asked.

"Deal." Megamind sighed.

What _would_ Father say if he knew that his son hadn't done what had been drilled into his brain from an early age? Chalk it up to late rebellious feelings he should have experienced when he was a teenager? Wag his finger at him as if he were a child and tell him just why people are better off not knowing about vampires, and launch into a long, tired speech about how pathetic most people's minds are and how they're safe because of the Family? He too, like Minion, would tell him to go and wipe the woman's mind and who cares if it meant erasing a week of her mind.

So why had he done it?

Maybe he was lonely in the world. Even with Minion as his best friend, it would be nice to have somebody know about the world he lived in, who he could talk to about. It didn't help matters that he thought Roxanne Ritchi was the most beautiful woman on the planet either. How would she know that an alien vampire slayer sat up at five pm every week day to watch her report on the day's news like he did? She'd chalk him up as a creeper or something like that. He was already an alien; he didn't need to be called a 'creeper' too.

He hoped, maybe, she hadn't freaked out too much after waking up at home...

Either way he would find out when he would approach her. But how? Disguise himself as her camera man? As the door man? Break into her apartment to do it, or approach her at work? How did she get to work anyway, did she take public transport, drive, or what? There was so much he had to find out now, and so little time in which to do it.

"We're here, Sir." Minion said as he parked the car and pulled out the keys. They were in a populated area of the city known as the Artist District, where left thinkers went to express themselves in art, music, poet reading and other assorted things like that. "Now you need to get into the club and sniff out the woman we're after." he said as he opened up a lap top and observed the information on there. "There have been a lot of people reportedly going missing from this area for a few weeks now, but no bodies have been found. My guess is she hides them somewhere here, her local hang out."

"Ah one of _those_ places." Megamind mumbled as he adjusted his watch that changed his appearance into a Goth looking young man. "Let me guess, it's going to be full of vampire wanna bees cutting themselves and drinking each others blood?" he asked.

"Yes." Minion said.

"All pale, dressed in black with multiple piercings who would no doubt be throwing themselves in front of me to stop me from getting to their 'Queen'?" Megamind added, looking out the window at the shadowy door that would lead down to an underground club full of Goths.

"Most likely." replied Minion.

"Bring it." Megamind said.

_To be continued_


	3. Reading Adventure

The library was a place that Roxanne had always found to be of great comfort when growing up in the bustling metropolis that was Metro City. Despite the loud, hectic world outside full of its traffic, people, and sheer business of it all as soon as you walked through the arching door ways into the heart of the library that had been built there over one hundred years ago, that crazy world was left outside and unable to penetrate the silence and familiarity of the library.

She had seen the updates come, from the cards used to find a book to computer kiosks and how the newspaper section had gradually shrunk over the years... but it was still a library, her place of solitude where she could go to settle in a beanbag or an arm chair with a good book. Roxanne had been coming here since she was old enough to read, back then she had been brought by her father and her mother both of whom were avid book lovers.

The little girl had known how to read basic words, and even write some, before starting kindergarten, and she thanked both of her parents for instilling a love of words and reading from such an early age since it had been of great help for her career choice. From humble beginnings of reading Beatrice Potter, Roald Dhal and other children's authors she was now a hard edged journalist who wrote columns in the local newspapers and also reported live on the news. She had once thought the world made sense, that everything was at it should be.

Then she learned vampires were real and everything was thrown for a loop.

If they were real as she was, how was it they hadn't been detected by the general public yet? Surely that... blue... alien couldn't be the only one fighting them. Maybe there was a whole legion, groups of them, fighting vampires the world over so to protect man kind from all turning into blood thirsty monsters of the night?

Today Roxanne found herself in the occult section of the library and was sitting on the floor by the book shelves as she poured through books on vampires. She had once thought she knew all there was to know about them from watching television, movies, and reading a few books here and there but the creatures history was far more detailed than she thought possible. Not only that, but there were different 'breeds' of vampires as well.

There were some who could transform into wolves, bats, even those from Japan who detached their heads from their bodies and their flying heads sought out people to feast upon. It seemed almost every country had their own kind of vampire, and each one had its own way of being dealt with but of course this was all chalked up as playful, 'innocent' fiction.

"But how much of this is fiction...?" she wondered quietly as she picked up a book she had read a few times in high school. Dracula. While vampires had been known long before the book had been written, it was this 'story' that had brought vampires into the light of day to more people. Was it really a story? It wasn't written like a story, was it? Thumbing through the pages there were articles from newspapers, letters to friends and family, all of them documented papers of the events that surrounded the Count and his trip.

Sighing, she put the book down and rubbed her forehead.

"You know we have perfectly good seats for sitting on." the voice startled her and Roxanne would deny to her death that she gave out a surprised squeak when she had heard it. She turned and peered up to see a familiar face.

"Bernard!" she gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "Don't scare me like that."

"I can be incredibly terrifying when I want to be." his voice was, as usual, totally devoid of emotion and had been ever since Roxanne had first met him years ago in this very library where he worked. Bernard Dunning was a thin man by appearance, had wavy crazy brown hair that never seemed to do what it was told and he had round glasses perched on the end of his button nose. He crouched, and nudged his glasses up his nose since they had been slipping, and picked up one of the books she was reading. "Vampire Myths and Legends." he read, before lowering the book and arched his eyebrow at her. "I didn't take you as a fan of the supernatural."

"Neither did I." she admitted meekly as she picked up a few of the books and got to her feet since he had a point, they had chairs, and her butt was going to sleep from sitting on the floor for so long. "It's just... I don't know."

"You haven't been caught up in that whirlwind of screaming women who like those vampire romance novels, have you?" Bernard asked cautiously, as if asking her if she had contracted a highly contagious disease.

"Oh God no!" Roxanne laughed, shaking her head. "No, no. I'd sooner push nails through my fingers before reading that claptrap."

"Good. For a minute there I was afraid I was going to have to strap you to a chair and make you watch Gary Oldman as Dracula with Clockwork Orange style eyelid holding machine in place." he aid in such a way that made it hard for her to tell if he was being serious or not since he never inflected anything he ever said, ever. Unless you didn't count his sarcasm which was sometimes so potent she swore it could make paint peel.

"No, you don't have to do that." Roxanne assured him as they walked past the shelves of books, running a finger along the spine of one of the books. "It's just... I had the weirdest experience. I don't know if I can tell you or not, since I think you'd cart me off to an insane asylum or something."

"Now would I ever do that?" Bernard asked.

Roxanne gave him a long, pointed look.

"...all right maybe I would but that depends on the degree of insanity you're talking about." he replied with a smug grin. "So what was the experience?"

Roxanne had known Bernard for years now, even if she barely saw him outside the confines of the library walls. He had told her once it had everything he would ever truly want in the world what with all the books to read, audio tapes to listen to, newspapers to read, a small coffee store set up at the back of the library, and even sick beds where he could catch a few Z's if need be. Despite his inability to be seen outside the library walls, he was a good friend to her, and she one to him. Just how many times they had grumbled at each other about their love lives and the men that continued to elude them was lost on her.

And so she told him, in a quiet corner of the library. Roxanne explained about the celebration of her promotion at KMPG 8, how she had run into a handsome man who she just couldn't tear herself away from. That he had transformed into something incredibly evil, and dangerous, outside and would have surely killed her if not for a man coming to her rescue. All throughout her story Bernard stood there, arms folded over his chest, nodding his head to show he was listening.

"Then I woke up in my apartment, ankle sore, but no recollection of getting there." she finally finished. "I asked Carlos who got me home but he just said some guy in a suit." Roxanne glanced up at her friend since she had been looking down at the books in her hands. "You think I'm mad, don't you?"

"We're all a little mad here." Bernard replied with a shrug before stroking his chin in thought. "So... you were rescued by a vampire slayer?" he asked.

"I guess?" Roxanne shrugged.

"A blue one. With a big head. And a fish in a gorilla suit." Bernard added.

"...I know it sounds crazy but... yes." she sighed, looking down at the books once more. "That's what happened and I've just been... hungry for more information since then."

"Well. Either you smoked the weirdest pot ever created," he started, "had a realistic nightmare or it really happened. Now I know you're not the type to smoke that crap, and dreams never seem so real you remember every little detail like that."

"You think it really happened?" Roxanne asked hopefully, eyes wide.

"Stranger things have happened." Bernard shrugged. "What you need is to find this guy again, if you want information."

"But how?" she asked, "He's this... mysterious blue guy who drives around in a car you can't see with a talking fish. If it wasn't for that car I'm sure everyone would know about them more than they do now!"

"Obviously he doesn't want to be found. Maybe you'll see him again, maybe you won't. It's no good to keep dwelling on it, though. He saved you, and you're here now. That's his job, as a slayer. Just like Buffy." he continued walking again, and she fell into step alongside him. "Course, Buffy wasn't an alien but part of a family who had long since dealt with killing vampires..."

Roxanne gave a small laugh, and sighed. At least he didn't think she was totally insane.

"Just wait it out. Maybe he'll find you again, or maybe vampires will find you again." Bernard said.

"You're taking this whole alien and vampires thing pretty well." Roxanne said, giving him a look.

"Our universe is far too large, and there are many, many things we humans don't know about." Bernard said with another shrug. "I'm pretty much open to anything."

"Except sleeping with a woman." she smirked.

"That's where my line is drawn." he said with a face of disgust. "As lovely as you are." he added.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Roxanne grinned toothily at him.

"I'm hoping flattery will keep me away from everywhere." Bernard replied smugly.

~*~

"Don't go to bed Sir, remember you've still got a job to do." Minion said as they walked over the threshold to their home. The rich wooden floorboards creaked beneath the weight of their footfalls, cushioned slightly by the ancient rug that spread the length of the hallway whose walls were adorned with paintings in expensive looking frames.

"Urrrggghhhh." Megamind groaned as he pulled his black jacket off of his shoulders and hung it on a clothes peg by the door that Minion was now shutting and locking. "But tonight was so hard." he complained like a child, looking up at his friend with doe like eyes.

"Don't let Father catch you whining like that." grinned the fish before glancing up at a portrait that hung on one of the walls ahead of them.

The portrait was of a distinguished looking man wearing a smoker's jacket. His white hair and moustache were groomed exquisitely and he looked every part a distinguished gentleman sitting there in his comfortable leather chair before a roaring fireplace. The only thing that looked completely out of place was the fact he was holding a disembodied head of a vampire, whose jaw was hanging open and its white, dead eyes stared out at nothing. The man gripped its black hair firmly in one fist, while the other hand supported its hacked open neck, uncaring of the blood dribbling over his fingers.

Megamind scoffed noisily as he tugged his boots off. "At least let me change into something not covered in vampire remains?" he asked sarcastically.

"If you must!" Minion said cheerfully before heading off into the manor.

The alien was left standing there in the entrance way to Father's manor, and wondered just what would the man say if he found out that his adopted son had gone and not wiped the mind of the young woman he had saved. Swallowing harshly, Megamind walked past the impressive portrait that he could see clearly in his mind even with his eyes shut. He swore the eyes followed him wherever he walked in the room and had always disturbed him, no matter how old he was. Making his way up the curving staircase he passed a few more paintings of men, and women, of the Family. There were all races and creeds here, people from oriental descent, African, European and of course American.

He wondered if he, too, would one day have a portrait up on the walls of the manor that had been handed down through generations since the 1700's. That one day, generations from now, young slayers would stare up at the vision of a blue skinned alien who had been brought into the Family despite his appearance and what he was.

Finding his room Megamind walked in, and began stripping out of his dirty and torn clothes. The Goths hadn't been easy to deal with since there had been more of them than he had anticipated. Despite his knowledge of fighting in many styles against people of all shapes and sizes it had still been hectic. Minion even joined in the fray at some point, giving his friend a chance at getting through to the woman who was controlling them all like puppets. The alien had taken a few cuts to his body, and he knew he'd have a nasty bruise on his shoulder from where the woman had thrown him against the ceiling.

But it was all part and parcel of being who he was. You left for work knowing there was a chance you would be injured in some way, shape or form. He wasn't doing his job if he wasn't hurt, that's the way he saw it and that's the way he had been raised to believe. Fighting monsters of the night was never as easy as they made it seem in the movies, he always left with some kind of strained limb, a bruise, or as always some ash clinging to his skin.

"So what am I supposed to do exactly..." he muttered aloud as he pulled his boxers off and tossed them into his laundry hamper before walking across the lavishly decorated room to a walk in closet to select something to wear. "Just walk into the office and request to speak to her? That wouldn't work at all, she's far too important for that. Maybe if I disguise myself as somebody on the staff... no, I don't want to do that." he found some black tight jeans, a blue shirt and another faithful black leather jacket. After locating some clean underwear and socks he went through to his private bathroom.

Downstairs, Minion was loading the laundry into the washing machine but not turning it on since the machine wasn't nearly as full as it could be. He looked around the spacious room before walking out into the kitchen and sought out his tuna sandwich that was still waiting faithfully for him in the fridge. Just as he opened the hatch on the top of his dome to lower the sandwich in there was a harsh buzzing noise filling the air. Knowing that sound, Minion put the sandwich down and rushed through into the large living room area.

He dashed past a leather bound chair besides an empty fire place, and Minion arrived at a book case. Grabbing a book he tugged it slightly out before letting go, as he did the book slowly slid back into place as the books above it slid backwards, then up, revealing a screen and keyboard. Minion pressed a button on the mouse pad, typed in his log in name and password, then waited as the screen loaded. The fish read the message before biting his lower lip anxiously. He stepped back and pressed a button on the keyboard again and quickly the screen was hidden by the books once more.

"All right Minion..." Megamind walked into the room, adjusting the collar of his leather jacket. "I'm heading off. You'll be all right here?" he asked.

"Oh yes, of course Sir!" Minion said brightly as he picked up a dust and moved to the leather chair that had been painted long ago with a man holding a vampires head in it. "I need to do some dusting anyway." he added as he enthusiastically dusted the arm chair.

"Right, well. Whatever makes you happy?" Megamind said before giving the fish a wave and walked off, feeling very apprehensive. He was used to going into things with a plan, but those plans normally dealt with just how he was going to over power the vampire he was about to fight properly and get a swift stab in with the weapon of choice for the night. This, though, was not a battle. It was approaching a woman whose mind he should have wiped clean but didn't. Not just any woman, either, this was Roxanne Ritchi. The Roxanne Ritchi!

Swallowing hard he left through the front doors, got into the invisible car and drove off towards the city that the elaborate manor over looked. It had been established before Metro City was even a city, built long ago by the Family to offer shelter to those travelling but more so to their family members. Within were many secret hidden passageways, rooms, and histories about secret wars that nobody knew of but the privileged few who did. He could still remember the first day he saw the manor, held in the arms of his new Father as he walked him up the drive way after his chauffer had let them out.

It had been intimidating back then, so he had whimpered a little since the colors were dark and foreboding while he had gripped tightly at Minion's orb. Sensing his unease his Father had said "Don't be afraid. This is the only place you'll be safe, the two of you. This is your home now." all these years later those words were as true as the sky, and Megamind, was blue. He truly couldn't see himself fitting in anywhere else in the world.

He drove through the bustling city expertly, mindful of cars that couldn't see him, and soon parked down a side street marked 'No Entry'. Getting out he walked the rest of the way towards the towering building that was KPMG 8 and once he arrived at the shimmering, gleaming skyscraper he felt all his confidence trickle away. Even in his disguise, what could he do? What was his plan? What floor was she on? So many questions, so many fears… he didn't like it at all.

Then he spotted the window cleaners setting up for a long days work cleaning the many, many windows of the building. He watched as one of them said something about needing the toilet and walked off. The idea blossomed in Megamind's brain so quickly it hadn't even finished before he was walking after the man, who was going into the building to use the rest room. Inside was bustling with people rushing here and there with arms full of paperwork and gripping briefcases as if their souls were kept inside. Nobody cared for him, nor bothered him, as he followed the window washer into the rest room.

_To be continued_


	4. Brother of Mine

"I can't believe this!" Megamind came home to the manor that evening looking agitated and annoyed, and when he slammed the door behind him he threw his trench coat off of his shoulders and slammed it down onto the ground.

Minion, who had been in the kitchen making dinner, came walking through to the entrance hallway with a worried look on his face. "Long day, Sir?" he asked.

"She wasn't there!" snapped the blue alien, "I scaled that entire building four times cleaning all those stupid windows in hopes of finding what floor she's on but she just wasn't there!"

"You cleaned windows?" Minion blinked before laughing. "Did you get paid?"

"No! I didn't!" Megamind whined as he walked up to the fish, frowning severely. "It goes into the bank of the guy I impersonated!"

"Oh well. So now what?" asked the fish as he followed his friend into the kitchen.

"Now I might go and check out her building again." Megamind said as he opened the fridge and rooted around for a donut he knew they had, only to have the door closed on him. "Hey!"

"It's too close to dinner. You'll spoil your appetite." scolded the fish.

"But I'm hungry! I didn't have any money on me so I couldn't buy lunch!" whined Megamind again, stomping his foot like a little boy.

"Then you'll enjoy your dinner even more." Minion pointed out before shooing Megamind from the room. "Go on, wake up Wayne. He's been in his room all day."

Grumbling, Megamind left the confines of the kitchen and made his way up the curving staircase again. Why Minion couldn't go and wake Wayne he didn't know, but it had to be done or the older man would not get his dinner and then he'd complain about it. He walked past his own bedroom door, past Minion's, and arrived at Scotts.

Not even bothering to knock Megamind pushed the door open and walked into the darkened room where a large shape lay on the bed, snoring loudly. "Hey, sleeping beauty. Get out of bed." Megamind said as he grabbed the velvet curtain and tugged it open, allowing light to pour into the bedroom. The shape shifted, and groaned. "Minion's almost got dinner on."

Very slowly the body in the bed heaved up into a sitting position, and Megamind was reminded once more why he didn't like coming into his room. His older brother had a habit of sleeping with nothing on, and seeing that much skin and thick hair clinging to the man's chiseled abs and chest was just distressing. "Oh for-put some clothes on." Megamind grabbed a white robe where it lay on the floor and tossed it at him. "You couldn't have worked that hard last night."

Wayne gave out a short laugh as he caught the dressing gown and watched as the blue man walked from the room. "Hey it was...!" he called as he got out of bed and pulled his dressing gown on.

"Working as a security guard at a museum can't be _that_ interesting." Megamind said as he walked down the stairs, feeling and hearing the heavy footfalls of his brother behind him as he did.

"You'd be surprised." Wayne pointed out. "So how about you, find the girl yet?"

"No. She wasn't at work." grumbled the blue man as they walked into the lounge. "So my next plan of attack is going to where she lives." he explained.

"Might be dangerous." said Wayne slowly, "What if she comes home, or you're spotted?"

"I blend very well thank you very much. More so than you, Mr. Greek God." snapped Megamind, looking up at the handsome face that Wayne possessed. Even with a five o'clock shadow clinging to his strong jaw, and his hair a bit of a mess, you couldn't deny he was easy to look at… unlike himself.

"Ah but that's only with your disguises in place." Wayne pointed out, "If you didn't have those you'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"Who's got a sore thumb?" Minion asked, hearing the tail end of their conversation as they entered the dining room, where he was setting up the plates.

"Nobody." Megamind said as he pulled out his chair and sat while Wayne did the same.

"Don't forget your shift starts at nine tonight," Minion said to Wayne as he set down a fourth plate. "And it's over at the West End of town at the stadium."

"Fun." Wayne said flatly.

This, thus far, was the Family. Both sons, Megamind (not the name given by Father but a name the blue boy had picked since it sounded cooler) and Wayne, were adopted by Father years, and years ago. Megamind had been first, and had not even been two weeks old by the time the man had brought him and his fish to the house. Wayne, though, came along much later. He had initially been adopted by a wealthy couple known as the Scotts but a super powered baby had turned out to be far more powerful than they had hoped to handle.

Through connections, the toddler had been brought to the Manor of the Family where he and the small blue boy had been raised together in the house along with Father, and other visiting members of the Family. While Megamind had been trained in the art of combat, Wayne had not. Many Family members questioned this since, with the boy's obvious strength and limitless abilities, shouldn't he be the one fighting?

Once upon a time Wayne was the type of little boy who loved being the centre of attention. He would do any, and everything, to get people to notice him and praise him, or even scold him. Any kind of attention was good enough for him and Father blamed his previous parents on that kind of behavior. That, also, had been a deciding factor to not make Wayne the fighter of the family. Being a Family member meant you weren't known to the public, you had to remain anonymous, mysterious, and not let the rest of the world know about you. If Wayne had become the fighter he would have revealed them at the first instant he got, on purpose or otherwise, and thrust his face into the limelight.

Father had explained to those who believed Wayne should be the fighter as such; "Because there are the traditions to uphold. Within every Family there is but one fighter, and the others learn basic fighting skills but are mainly used for information gathering. You all know this. Unlike my other son, he can go out into the world as he is and find out precious information. Both will play their roles to carry on our family's traditions, but both won't be fighting unless the need desperately calls for it."

Many would consider this would make Wayne envious of his younger brother, allowed to go out in the night and hunt down demons but on the contrary, thanks to Father's upbringing and rules Wayne had grown up no longer wanting to be the centre of attention, and not only that but he became quite the pacifist. He detested fighting unless it was to defend oneself, or those you love. Hence why he took on a job role as a security guard but that wasn't the only job he understood. He had also a gym instructor, a fire fighter, even a male nurse. All of these jobs got him out there in the bustling city and he always kept an ear out.

They also had their other contact, but he hadn't brought them anything new yet. It was still early, though.

"I think I've had my fill of security work." Wayne said suddenly as he lifted the spoon of soup to his lips and took a sip. "I might pick up being a fire fighter again, that was good work and I got to go to all ends of the city."

"Not only that but you know a lot of vampires destroy the remains of their victims in fires. You helped me track down six fractions of them last time you were a fire fighter." Megamind pointed out.

"That too." replied Wayne. "But we still haven't found..."

He trailed into silence and all three of them turned their heads to the setting at the head of the table. While there was a plate, cutlery, and a glass it was empty.

"No. I haven't." Megamind said stiffly. "I _will_ find them." he growled.

"Once dealing with Miss. Ritchi, am I right?" Wayne asked with a grin, trying to break the grim curtain that had fallen down around them. "Bet you loved getting that close to her, eh, eh?"

"Oh stop it." replied Megamind, oblivious to the flush on his face.

"You've had it bad for her since she started work!" Wayne laughed, "And you get to rescue her from a vampire? It must have been a dream comes true, surely."

"Stop it Wayne." Megamind hissed.

"Make me, Eth-" Wayne started.

"Don't say that name! I hate that name!" snapped Megamind, pointing his spoon threateningly at his brother. "You know that!"

"Why? Father gave you that name." Wayne replied with a smirk.

"Because it's old and stupid and I'm Megamind now, Wayne. Megamind. Say it with me. Mega. Mind. I don't see why you got to keep the name your old parents gave you but I got stuck with that stupid mockery of a name..."

"Ethe-" Wayne started, before getting a dollop of mashed potato splattering against his face.

"Sir!" Minion gasped, "No throwing food at the table!"

"Oh it's going to be like that is it?" Wayne asked, wiping the potato from his face with a hand, grinning as he lobbed it back at Megamind who ducked, yet still got some potato to the top of his head.

"Hey!" Megamind cried.

"Stop it the both of you you'll get potato everywhere—no, no the peas too please! Ack! You're acting like children stop it!" next thing Minion knew he had potato hitting his dome and he stood there momentarily before grabbing a hand full of food too and lobbed it at Wayne, joining the foray.

~*~

"I thought I told you to forget about this."

The computer screen illuminated the darkened corner of the library, and Bernard sat there with his hands supporting his chin. He leaned back and looked up at Roxanne, who was leaning over besides him. "You know I hate it when people read over my shoulder." he informed her blandly.

"I know you did but this is important." Roxanne said, "I _know_ I've heard of a blue alien before but I don't know where, or how I could have forgotten." she said, reaching up to press a hand to her head. "Before you ask, no, it wasn't from a movie."

"Blue alien, being forgotten, sounds like Avatar." Bernard commented as he adjusted the knobs on the control panel before him as pages of newspaper that had been scanned into the archive began to slide across the screen. "If he is an alien as you so think he is, do you really think the government would have allowed any information to survive?" he asked pointedly.

"You have a point. But... wait, wait." she suddenly hurried away leaving her friend at the computer. It was a long shot but if she could find somebody who might remember a blue alien that would help her pin point a year to begin with rather then working herself backwards in the archives. She knew Bernard's boss had been working at the library fifty years now and knew practically everything that had ever happened in their city before, and during, those past fifty years.

She found the woman sitting at the main information desk of the library, scanning in books that had been dropped off by the borrowers. Now and then when she scanned them she would frown unhappily, meaning the poor book had been held captive by the lender far longer then they should have. May God have mercy on the soul of the poor fool who kept a book over due, for Mrs. Brown was not one to easily forgive such crimes.

"Mrs. Brown, good evening." Roxanne greeted her, voice at the right pitch so it wasn't too loud, but at that perfect library volume that librarians always appreciated.

"Ah, Miss. Ritchi. Congratulations on your promotion." Mrs. Brown said as she glanced up at Roxanne through her fringe of graying black hair. She wore a collared shirt, a charcoal vest over that, and most probably a skirt that went down to her ankles but that was only a guess since she was behind a desk after all.

"Thank you Mrs. Brown." replied Roxanne, "I have a question I want to ask you, and it might seem a little weird."

"In a library, Miss. Ritchi, there are many weird questions." said the older woman as she put her scanner down and lifted her glasses off of her nose to rub at the sore bridge. "How can I help you?"

"Do you remember, at any time in Metro City's history that... there was a... hm. Blue alien?" Roxanne asked. "It's for a story I'm doing on legends in Metro City and I need a starting point, and since you have such a brilliant memory I felt it best to ask you..."

Mrs. Brown arched her eyebrows at the young woman before replacing her glasses, and tapped a finger on the desk as she thought. In the distance there was suddenly some chatter from a pair of young boys, and Mrs. Brown turned her head and called out, "Hush up! This is a library!" the young boys automatically hushed up. Everyone knew not to cross Mrs. Brown.

"Blue... you know. I do recollect something. It was all over the radio and newspapers." Mrs. Brown said, "Little guy fell out of the sky and landed in the local jail, of all places."

Roxanne stared at the woman, mouth open.

"Shut your mouth Miss. Ritchi, you're not catching flies." Mrs. Brown prompted, to which Roxanne did.

"So he... it's real?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh yes. I remember, since he incited a break out of at least forty criminals and he was only a baby at the time. After that though, there wasn't anything else on him which I found particularly peculiar since I'm sure the whole world was waiting for alien contact. Maybe the government picked him up and took him away to experiment on him." Mrs. Brown explained as she began to move the scanned books onto a trolley in which to hand onto Bernard, who would put them in their rightful place.

"How long ago was this, Mrs. Brown, do you remember?" Roxanne truly hoped the woman had at least a year in mind.

"Twenty eight years ago he landed on Christmas Day, so I'd check newspapers on Boxing Day for any further information." Mrs. Brown replied instantly. "And if you see Mr. Dunning could you remind him he has a job to do? There's a good girl."

After praising Mrs. Brown and her impressive knowledge Roxanne made her way back to where she had left Bernard, and was surprised to see he was gone. Maybe he realized he was on stacking duties and had left already? That made sense, since he was technically at work right now. Sighing, she sat down in the chair he had vacated and turned the knobs to the far left, flying through the years.

She counted the years as she went, and finally stopped it around New Years thirty years ago. From here she moved back slowly, carefully, backwards through the newspapers. "Boxing Day... Boxing Day..." she mumbled before she came to a stop, and stared blankly. She had reached Boxing Day but... pages were missing from the archive. At least five pages were missing, as was the first page of the newspaper itself. There was a small notice, claiming the pages were lost due to a computing error.

"What?" Roxanne asked, before moving to another archive computer to try another newspaper since being such a huge city Metro City had a few newspapers in circulation. But just like the previous one, Boxing Day was missing information. She had soon checked all the newspaper archives in the library and found they were all missing precious pages, or little snippets of articles. Some said it was a fire, others a computer glitch, or simply lost the pages.

"Something rotten is in the state of Metro City." she mumbled.

Little did she know she was being watched by somebody a few bookshelves down, peering at her through the cracks available given by the height of the books. The eyes narrowed, before holding up a wrist to speak into a watch.

"She's getting closer."

_To be continued_


	5. Putting on the Ritz

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Megamind asked as he watched Wayne sort through his closet, picking out clothing before either tossing them to the bed or putting them back on their racks.

"You met her around there once, who's to say she isn't going to go there again?" replied Wayne as he held up a nice suit that wasn't too formal, or casual. "Man, you like your lighting bolts don't you?"

Megamind grunted as he picked up the trousers that Wayne had just tossed onto his bed. "You know I can easily generate any kind of clothing I want right?" he asked.

"Yes but you always pick such horrible things. You need _color_ to catch a lady's eye and wearing black just makes you part of the shadows." Wayne explained as he walked into the bedroom, laying the suit out on the bed.

"That's what Father taught me to do." Megamind replied solemnly. "Never draw attention to yourself if you can help it."

"I know." sighed Wayne, reaching out and grasped his younger brothers shoulder. "But tonight you want her to see you, so when you do approach her you don't freak her out by your black clothing and spikes."

"I _like_ spikes." grumbled Megamind. "But what makes you think she'd be going out?"

"Roxanne Ritchi is known to flit around the social scene on a Saturday night and my sources tell me she's going to be attending the gala event tonight in recognition of KMPG 8 reaching 40 years of service to the good people of Metro City." Wayne said as he wondered if it was too late to ask Minion to stitch up a colorful tie for Megamind before deciding to lend him one of his white ones.

"And how am I supposed to get in, again?" Megamind asked, "Steal a bellboy's outfit and dress up as him?"

"That could work. You're small enough to pass as one." in response he got a pillow flung at his face. He let it hit him and laughed, before tossing it aside. "I'm kidding. I got you a invitation."

"...you got me a... what, how?" the blue man was amazed.

"Remember? I'm the information guy. I got contacts." Wayne smiled. "Besides, Roxanne needs to be seen to. She's finding out more information every day, even though the library archives have been altered those within the newspapers probably aren't. Even I don't know how far Father's influence stretched. If she's already seen those and read about a baby blue boy alien falling from the heavens then to be adopted by the hermit millionaire whose property remains unknown to most... well. We don't want her finding this place."

"Why not?"

Wayne paused, and looked at Megamind. "Excuse me?"

"Why don't we want her finding this place? I mean... what if.. what if she could become an ally?" Megamind asked.

"Oh no." Wayne said, shaking his head. "No."

"Why?" Megamind probed, "Tell me."

"Because she's a reporter, remember? How could she keep her lips sealed about this place, about what you and I do?" Wayne asked.

"You don't know that for certain." Megamind scowled, "She has her fingers in the news network channels, she could give us even more information than our current contacts could!"

"Hey our guy's are pretty reliable but I do see the point you're trying to make, I'm not shooting you down entirely in flames." Wayne replied, "Easy little super star."

"Don't call me that, it's even worse then my name." picking up the suit Megamind observed the rich, deep blue material and dusted a piece of lint off the collar. "...could I at least try? If she doesn't want to then I can erase her mind."

Wayne sighed, and set his hands on his hips. "Father would disapprove of this but... sure. Give her a try. Besides, getting to talk to her all dressed up is surely on a wish list of yours, am I right?" he grinned.

"You're never going to let go of that are you? At least I stopped teasing you about liking your-"

"Ancient history." Wayne said, a little too quickly than he had hoped to.

"I don't think so!" sung Megamind with a smug grin.

"Cut it out. We got business to do." face flushing, Wayne handed Megamind the clothing he'd be wearing. "Now, Minion will drive you in the Bentley and I will act like your security to get you in, but then you're on your own. But come on, you've faced down vampires. Socialites can't be that different. All the blood sucking happens behind the scenes, after all."

"I hope so."

~*~

Roxanne fumbled with her purse as she sat in the back of the taxi, looking for her compact. Despite the bag being one of those small, fashionable little bags it was stuffed full of things. There was her make up compact, lipstick, small comb, spray on deoderant, mace, her coin purse, wallet, mobile phone, small collection of tissues and her house keys. It was no wonder she couldn't find what she was looking for, and after a moment she gave up with a frustrated grunt and sat back in the taxi.

She wore a red strapless dress that was somewhat figure hugging, showing off the curves of her hips, before spreading out a little just below the knees to reveal red stockings. Sighing, Roxanne turned her head to look out the window as the city scenery whizzed past.

Despite the library archives having been tampered with, Roxanne had sought out the newspaper that was printed by KPMG 8 and had found what she was looking for. Christmas day, twenty eight years ago a capsule with a baby alien had crash landed in the prison yard. The baby was then detained there for a while after helping criminals escape before being picked up by child services who believed it deserved a chance at a real life.

Then the baby, nicknamed Blue, had been adopted. By who remained illusive, since it was obvious that the boy's new family didn't want people knocking down their doors all day, or ringing them with questions about raising an alien. They wanted to remain anonymous, and they got it. Still it frustrated her to no end that this little baby was now fighting vampires like something out of a sci-fi movie. It almost reminded her of Blade, but Blade was a vampire fighting vampires and not an alien fighting vampires.

"Here we are." her driver had pulled up on the side of the road and turned to look back at her.

"Oh!" Roxanne blinked and looked outside.

They were at the Botanic Gardens Celebrations Hall, a huge, impressive building that companies would choose in which to host galas to show off their wealth and influence. It was lit up tonight with bright lights, and blue ruffled curtains shaped around the outside wall in patterns of bows. Already there was quite a crowd gathered along where the red carpet led from the sidewalk all the way up to the doors. Along said carpet a lot of television celebrities from KPMG 8 was signing autographs, being interviewed, or being photographed.

Roxanne paid the cabbie and got out of the car before making her way to the red carpet. Cameras flashed the instant she arrived and she smiled nicely at them all, pausing so the magazine and newspaper photographers could get a few good shots of her. She was glad she was now over her crippling fear of crowds that she used to have as a child, otherwise events like these would be impossible for her to attend.

She was just half way up the red carpet when she heard another car approaching and turned her head to see who it was. A rich blue colored Bentley, looking like it had just rolled off the production line, drove up and parked. Inside there were three people, a driver and two in the back. One door opened and a man unlike any she had seen before stepped out. He was at least seven feet tall, wavy black hair, and the kind of looks that any woman would swoon over. Dressed in a black suit he looked very intimidating, and impressive, obvious by how many cameras began clicking at him.

But he turned away from them all and held the door open for somebody else.

The one who followed him wasn't nearly as tall, but still cut a sharp image... he was slim but not by any means skinny. He wore a deep blue suit with a white tie against a black shirt, and wore shiny black shoes. Gloves covered his fingers and he glanced around at the crowd, seemingly oblivious to their presence. That thin face though, it was very familiar... and those eyes, the goatee and that bald head...

Roxanne recognized him despite him not having a huge head, or blue skin. No way was there a man in Metro City who resembled the alien this much. It was him. He was here! Why was he here? Was he after her? Was there a vampire here? She always knew the industry was full of blood suckers but how literal was that saying? Heart racing, Roxanne turned and hurried up the rest of the red carpet and in through the main doors, showing her invitation before moving on.

"Go get em, super star." Wayne said as he climbed back into the car.

Megamind simply grunted before being left on the red carpet. Taking a deep breath in through the nose he walked up the carpet, past the celebrities, interviewers, and photographers. Nobody stopped him to talk to him since nobody knew him, and he seemed to have the ability to just blend in with people despite walking up a red carpet with a hundred cameras on him. Approaching the door he pulled out an invitation and showed it to the hulking man who his brother Wayne could make cry if he really wanted to, before being let through.

Inside the entrance hall was elaborately decorated with statues and portraits on display. The floors and columns were marble, and waiters walked around with platters full of drinks and nibble food. All the people Megamind recognized from the television station, presenters, fore cast people, stars who showed up on shows that were screened on KPMG 8... it really was amazing but they weren't the reason he was here. Deciding to go through to where they would be seated, Megamind pushed on.

Roxanne had already found her seat at a round table and observed the names of those people who she'd be sitting with. Of course her floor manager was there along with his wife, a few other news reporters from her time slot and... Hal. Who somebody had sat right next to her. Shuddering a little, she reached out to grab her name and swap it with one of the other newscasters.

"Hey Roxy!" the voice of Hal almost made her jump. "Wow, you look amazing. I mean, truly. Wow." the red haired camera man was there in a suit that looked like it had been hired at the last second and didn't even properly fit his body type at all. She was certain the pant legs were rolled up, too.

Turning her reach to change name tags into a reach to pick up her glass she looked at him. "Thanks Hal." she smiled.

"Quite a turn out huh?" he asked as he pulled the chair out where his name was and sat, "Everyone of anyone's gonna be here."

Roxanne chose not to correct him, instead choosing to sit down. "I wonder if they got some of the older generation to show up."

"Who like Burt Neuton?" Hal guessed, "Oh man that'd be so wicked if he was here! Big ole' moon face." he glanced around, as if even saying the man's name was enough to make him appear.

"He's sick, Hal. Remember? Pneumonia." she reminded him. "But those other guys he worked with, I'm sure they'd be here."

Hal groaned at the lack of Burt before he looked at her again. Roxanne could practically feel his leer from her seat and desperately wished they had made all the camera people sit at their own tables. "So," she said, trying to break his concentration from looking at her breasts, "I do hear Caine O'Haren is going to be here tonight."

"No way Caine?" Hal's eyes widened in shock before getting to his seat. "Oh man he's great I gotta find him and say hello! But don't you go anywhere Roxy, I don't want to leave you unattended for too long!" he winked at her before rushing off out to the entrance area again in hopes of finding the comedic night show host.

"Jesus." Roxanne groaned as she put her forehead in her hand. She didn't think she could handle a whole night sitting next to Hal. He was sweet, sure, and a great camera man but his personality just... didn't mesh with her well. The way he tried to flirt badly and joke out loud in an attempt at covering his own insecurities was upsetting. Plus he just creeped her out sometimes, especially when she knew he was checking out her ass or breasts which, in this dress, he would be doing a lot of.

Then she remembered Megamind, the alien vampire slayer, and Hal became the least of her worries. Sitting up straight she looked around the large room where the celebration was to be held. There were round tables taking up most of the floor space but there was always room for a good dance in front of the stage where a long, white table presided. The heads of the company would sit there and on that huge screen hanging above their heads was where footage would be shown, no doubt. So far, she couldn't see him. This was a good and bad thing.

Was he after her, because she knew too much? What if he knew she was finding more information on him, and vampires in general? She had felt like she was being watched for days now... had it been him, in the shadows? Goosebumps ran up her arms and she shivered.

"Are you cold?" a voice asked, making her jump slightly and turned in her seat to look up at who had spoken.

"Oh, no not... not really..." Roxanne's voice trailed into silence as she saw who it was standing besides her.

It was him. Even with human skin on his face, and a normal sized head, there was no mistaking who he was. It was even more obvious now that he was so close to her, those brilliant green eyes that was so striking it was hard to ignore. She felt her heart seize for a moment, and she wasn't sure if her cheeks were flushing too. Why was she suddenly so happy to see him, despite her fear and trepidation?

"How's your ankle?" Megamind asked, glancing down at where her ankles would be if he could see them through the dress.

"Much better thanks." Roxanne said quietly. "Uh... do you want to sit down?" she asked.

"Can I?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Well yeah. I just asked." she replied with a smile. "Unless you're here to kill me, then you can go jump off a cliff."

"Kill you?" he looked absolutely shocked before grabbing the chair besides her and pulled it out, "Why would I ever want to kill you?" he asked as he sat.

"I don't know. Why else are you here?" Roxanne asked. "Unless there's a vampire in this party somewhere and you're here to seek them out."

Megamind gave a small smile, and shook his head. "No, nothing like that." he said as he sat there a moment before looking at her and smiled, almost shyly. "It's... good seeing you again. Even if our last meeting was very short and full of crazy stuff I'm glad to see you. Looking so well. You know. What I mean. Yeah. I'm rambling now, sorry."

"No that's all right. This must be out of your element, the whole... dress up party thing, am I right?" she asked.

"Oh you've _no_ idea." he replied with a relieved smile.

"More used to jumping in and saving damsels from blood thirsty vampires, hm? In dark alleys?" Roxanne grinned, nudging at his arm playfully with her elbow.

"That doesn't happen as often as you think." Megamind replied with a laugh. Oh wow, this was easier than he thought it was. Why had he been so afraid before? Being afraid of a woman was beneath him, what his Father had taught him. She knew what he did, what he was, and she hadn't gone screaming to the newspapers or the internet. That alone must be a sign that she wasn't one of those 'people' who blabbed about anything strange they encountered in their lives. Maybe she could be of help to them, but he wanted so much more than just help from her.

"No?" she asked.

"Mmhmm. Any and everywhere at any time of night. And day." he said before reaching for a glass and filled it with water available from a pitcher that was on every table.

"Day? But I thought they couldn't..." Roxanne started.

"Some species of the vampire breeds can, but not many. They're easily recognizable in the day light so they tend to not go out in it if they can help it." he replied before taking a drink of water.

Roxanne opened her mouth to ask more but found herself interrupted. "Hey who are you?" Hal had returned, obviously unable to find his favorite night time host and found Roxanne being talked to by some bald guy he didn't know.

"Michael Crand." Megamind said instantly as he stood up, grabbed Hal's hand, and shook it. His whole demeanor had changed, obviously from years of infiltration and working from the shadows. "Publicist on the board for KPMG 8. Hal Stewart, yes?" he asked.

"Uh... y-yeah..." Hal said back, pulling his hand free from the gloved embrace of 'Michaels'. "Hi."

"I was just talking with Roxanne about the new shows slated for release this year. It seems as though we're going for a more reality TV spin then sitcoms which I find pretty boring since I prefer my sitcoms to seeing real people slug it out in matches and the like." Megamind continued, "But no matter how busy I may be I always make time to watch her news program. I always find it very enlightening to the goings on in our fair city and those who live in it. You do good work."

"Thanks... I guess?" the red head looked down at Roxanne, before back at the bald man. "Isn't your head like, cold or something like that?"

"Not always. Well!" he looked down at Roxanne and smiled in a way that she hoped didn't turn her cheeks red. "It has been a pleasure. Maybe I'll run into you during the night. See you." and with that he was off.

No way was he going to hang around and talk about vampires with her in such a public place and he cursed himself for saying what he had in her presence. He should know better! Yet in the presence of this beautifully stunning woman his mouth ran at high speeds, talking about any and everything. He almost praised the cameraman showing up when he did, less he would have gone into a tirade of information the woman wouldn't need or wanted.

Now he was stuck here for the remainder of the evening pretending to be somebody he wasn't and hoping he might run into her again throughout the night.

Good thing the drinks were free.

_To be continued_


	6. Can I have this Dance?

"-not meant to do it that way, I mean what kind of moron would try to solve it like that? It's painfully obvious what you gotta do. Anyway yeah, so what do you think? Wanna try it?"

Hal was going on, at lengths, about some kind of game that involved holes and spheres with British accents but Roxanne really wasn't listening to him. While their table had finally filled out with more people of whom she could properly talk to, her cameraman always seemed to butt into a conversation, take it over, and turn it into something only he understood. He was like a Viking, only a nerd one.

"Try it?" Roxanne chanced, glancing at him as she held her champagne glass in her hot little fist.

"Yeah, at my place! It'll be great I'll get ten kinds of dip 'n all kinds of stuff. It will be awesome, because we're awesome, right? Am I right?" Hal asked with a grin, nudging at her elbow as he did.

"Yes, we are..." she replied, "But I'm not really a video game type of girl, Hal. It's not my scene, you know that."

He looked disappointed but at least he seemed to understand that sitting down on a couch watching people do awesome things instead of doing it yourself wasn't her kind of thing. Seeing her chance, she put her glass down. "I have to go to the ladies."

"I'll go with you." Hal said, then realized what he had just said and flushed as everyone else on the table gave him the odd eye. "I mean. Walk you... there..."

"I'm a big girl, Hal. I'm quite capable of going to the ladies myself." Roxanne said as calmly as she could, despite the urge to speak through her teeth and tell him to stop following her everywhere like a stalking creep. She got up out of her chair, grabbed her handbag and slung it over her shoulder, and walked away. While she did go in the direction of the rest rooms at first she soon wandered from her path and scanned the large dining room.

There were so many people of varying ages, male and female, and dressed for success. It was all quite fascinating to look at but she was busy looking for someone in particular... someone she had been thinking of ever since having been saved by him.

After scanning the crowds for a few minutes she finally spotted the bald head, and that blue suit and green eyes. He was sitting at a table with a few people but seemed to be keeping to himself since he was sitting side ways at his chair, facing away from everyone and watching the band that had been brought in to perform on stage. She walked over to him and nudged his shoulder, making him jump.

"Come on, let's blow this joint." she grinned.

"...okay." he answered in a small voice.

Drink abandoned he got to his feet and followed her outside onto the large, elaborate balcony. A few people were out here smoking and chatting, but Roxanne and Megamind avoided them until they reached a clear space of it in the far corner. Beneath them the gardens of the botanical gardens spread in all directions, beautiful and ancient trees reached for the skies. Megamind was quickly reminded of one of his latest slaying that took place in this very garden.

"The air's better out here isn't it?" Roxanne asked.

"Much." Megamind replied as he folded his arms on the stone guard rail. "So how's the festivities so far for you?"

"Awful. I'm sitting next to my cameraman who creeps me out every chance he gets." she shuddered. "How about you?"

"I don't know anyone at my table, obviously, so I've spent the night pretending to be pretty much deaf and drunk." he answered with a smile.

"So why did you come out here then? Surely I can't be the soul reason." Roxanne turned to look at him, to find he was still staring out over the garden with a far away look in his eyes. He was like a man surveying a field of war, one that he knew far too well and hated to go back to the fight. Or maybe it was the drink in her making her see that.

"Oh, no. You can be. You are." he replied finally, and honestly, while he glanced up at her.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"I should have erased your memory on the night of your attack." Megamind said flatly. "It's part of the job. Save someone, wipe their memory of the incident, and send them back into the world with no knowledge of a vampire much less an alien."

"So why didn't you?" she asked, "I'm sure you had enough time when I was passed out."

"You're right. I did. But I didn't." he said.

"Why?" Roxanne tilted her head, blue eyes watching his own.

"...I... I've watched you on the news for ages. You give me information every night and everyone else in this city. Saving you, of all people, was... I don't know." Megamind strained with an answer, and put his hand to his forehead. "I could have, I should have, I would have, but I didn't. Now I'm being pressured to figure out what to do."

She stood there, watching him.

"Thing is, I can see the benefit of having you knowing about us." Megamind said, "You see the news before anyone else does. If things seem suspicious to you in a sense that vampires might be taking part, you could let me know and I could sniff them out before any more casualties. But if you can't be a help then I'll have to erase your memory and you won't remember me at all. I'll just be... be dream fodder."

"I don't want you to be dream fodder." Roxanne said, surprising herself by her own words.

"You don't?" Megamind asked, looking up at her.

"No. You're... far too interesting to be left to dream fodder." Roxanne explained. "I mean look at you. You're... you're a blue skinned, big headed alien who fights against forces of darkness with a robotic fish at your side. Do you know how amazing that is?"

"But can I trust you not to tell anyone?" he asked quietly.

She fell silent and thought of Bernard. She looked down at her hands and sighed, shutting her eyes.

"I know you told someone." he said quietly, causing Roxanne to open her eyes and look at him, wide eyed.

"How did you know?" she asked, voice shaking. "Did he tell you? How could he know about..."

Megamind felt awful now. But he pushed past the feeling, just like he had done so many times in the past. "Because he's an ally."

"...Bernard is... he... you know him?" she couldn't believe it. Bernard should play poker, because he never let slip that he knew what she was talking about, let alone personally. "How? How does that work, how does he know you?"

"For another time. But this... you haven't told anyone else?" he asked.

"Who else could I confide in?" Roxanne asked. "Everyone else would think it's stress from my promotion. My mother would think I'm pregnant and it was nothing but a nightmare. I know that it's none of those things. Bernard's my friend, my closest friend, and I don't have anyone else I could tell such private things."

"He said that, too." Megamind said with a faint smile.

"...how long have you known Bernard, then?" she asked quietly.

"Hm." he frowned and thought quickly. "Just a few years. His job in the library meant he was in reach of a lot of precious information if needed. Nobody knows how to locate a book like that man."

"I'll say." Roxanne mumbled. She felt a little betrayed now, that Bernard would keep something this big from her. But had he, like herself, feared what would happen if she told? Would they have erased Bernard's memory of the alien if he had told her? She didn't know but she knew it wasn't healthy to hang onto such things. "So what are you going to do, 'Michael'?" she asked with a grin.

Megamind was about to answer when he heard something coming from inside the dining hall. It was music from the band, but it had changed into something danceable. Knowing this might be his only chance, he took it. Reaching out he took her hand into his and smiled at her. "I'm going to dance with you."

"Oh. Well," she flushed, but smiled. "Sure, okay."

There were a few dozen couples dancing to the music and Roxanne couldn't help but shake the feeling that she had walked into a movie, or some romance novel. The scents of million dollar perfume filled the air as the couples swayed together, and the shorter man with no hair leading her into the middle of it all was... charming. Dashing? He acted like such a child sometimes and then could turn around and talk so seriously about things it was like a channel flip.

As he took one of her hands into his, and placed the other on her hip, Megamind suddenly remembered his dancing lessons from his youth. How he, Wayne and Minion had stood in the grand hall while Father and one of the nannies of the manor had danced. Father had told them he wanted his sons, and Minion (not quite considered a son but quite close), to know how to dance properly with a lady.

"But why?" Wayne had asked. "Girls are gross."

"Nobody'll want to dance with me." Megamind had said quietly.

"I would Sir!" Minion's chirpy answer brought a smile to his face.

"It is integral that a gentleman knows how to dance properly." Father had said as he approached the three. "If you know how to fight with a sword and use your footwork to counter an attack from a vampire, dancing will seem as a walk in the park for you." he had said to Megamind in particular. "Wayne, no doubt you will be wooing many young women once they become appealing. This will help to move you into their good graces. And Minion... have fun with it."

So the three aliens had learned to dance under the teachings of their father, who was what you could consider a man full of 'tough love'. He adored his children and cared for them as if they were priceless treasures, but when it came to training of any sort he was strict with them. Seeing how Megamind and Minion looked the way they were, Father had taught them everything they needed to know in life. That included basic reading, writing, and math skills combined with the art of killing vampires and hand to hand combat.

It turned out that Father was quite right; dancing was far easier than warding off an attack of a vampire. But it wasn't something he experienced much of. Outside of his learning with the nanny and under his Father's teachings, he had never danced with a woman before.

Until now.

And what a dancer she was, Roxanne seemed to almost glide on the dance floor with him and the rich color of her dress meshed against his blue suit beautifully. She smelt of lavender, like she had the night of the attack, and it was good to see her smiling and happy rather then terrified and confused like he had that night. This was the Roxanne nobody really saw, her real happiness and he felt... what was it... privileged to be here with her.

"You dance divinely." he commented, giving her a suave smile.

She laughed. "I'm only as good as my partner." she countered and felt a swell of smugness at how he looked a little shaken by the statement. Gosh, he was adorable too. What was wrong with her? She hadn't thought these things towards a man, much less an alien, in years. It was like a high school crush all over again only stronger, if possible. What force on earth could be more powerful than a thirteen year old girl's crush?

And he was so far out of her usual 'type' it was hilarious. Her last ex was a young man set to become a football player for Metro City. He had a charming, easy grin with clear green eyes and wavy blonde hair. How nice he had been, until she realized how clingy he was and how he wanted to know where she was, and what she was doing, all the time. She had been barely able to take a breath without him there. But he had been a part of her usual type, tall, cute slash handsome, and with those strong hands she loved.

But Megamind was not like that at all. He was bald, blue skinned, skinny but not frail, and had thin fingers that she could feel through his gloved hands. Yet she had felt a connection with him that night, despite her fears, and it had sustained itself on day dreams and wondering alone all this time. And here he was, dancing with her, laughing with her and revealing so much about the world she hoped and prayed he wouldn't delete it all. To loose the memory of the attack was devastating to say the least, but to loose the memory of _him_ seemed worse.

She wondered if it was the drink affecting her... damn Hal for forcing her to drink more to get through his company.

"Roxanne?" Megamind's voice was gently pushing through the fog of emotions and thoughts, and she fluttered her eyes to shake herself.

"Hm?" she asked.

"The music's stopped."

"Ah."

So it had. Roxanne stopped, and found her hands still gripping at his hand and his shoulder gently before she let go. But he held onto her hand and in a move that would make any woman in her right mind swoon, kissed the back of her hand.

"You still dance better then me." he grinned, letting go of her hand. "And I think I've made up my mind."

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"Not here." Megamind shook his head. "Afterwards. I think it's time for all the boring talks so we should-"

"No, come on." Roxanne grinned, grabbing his wrist. "Let's go."

He yelped as she all but yanked him off of his feet and they walked through the tables, ignoring the looks the two were getting. No doubt Hal himself was probably seeing Roxanne rush off, dragging the bald man with her, but she could care less. The world was suddenly so much larger to her now, and she wanted to know now as to whether or not it was going to remain open to her or slam on her like a huge pair of doors.

They rushed out through the entrance hall, past some waiters who were taking a rest and made their way outside into the cool night air.

"To be honest I hate things like this." Roxanne said as she travelled down the stairs, "Having to show up dressed to the nines like the way I have to. Do you have any idea how expensive this dress was? Two thousand dollars! Two thousand!"

"It certainly looks that expensive." he mumbled as he allowed her to partly drag him along with her, watching the plunging back of the dress.

"Well it is, and it's cold too! I forgot my pull over at home and by the time I realized it was too late to turn back. Accessories, they make the dress." she grumbled as they stopped at the end of the red carpet, "And I bet I'm going to be in magazines comparing my fashion sense to those around me, they always do that."

"If you hate it why do you do it?" Megamind asked. "Shouldn't you have a job you like?"

"But I do!" Roxanne replied, "I love my work in the field of journalism and reporting the news. It's what I've wanted to do since I was little. It's just the 'extras' that I have to do that bother me. But what about you?" she asked, looking to him. "Do you love your job?"

"Yes." he replied, "I do."

"No down sides?" she asked with a grin.

"Well. I don't like getting remains on me... that kind of irks me." Megamind mused, stroking his chin before sighing.

"...so... I see you're not making a move to wipe my mind?" Roxanne glanced around, half expecting that man in black from before to appear to erase her memory with something out of the MIB movies.

"Keen observation." he commented as he reached up to touch his wrist but froze. Megamind slowly lowered his wrist, and looked around.

"...what is it?" Roxanne asked, spotting his unease a mile away.

"We're not alone." Megamind said quietly, eyes narrowed.

"Well we are in the middle of the city and a party's going on behind us..." she pointed out.

"No." Megamind said quickly as he walked around her suddenly, like a dog on patrol. "Someone's out here that shouldn't be."

Roxanne was going to tell him he was being paranoid but remembered he had been doing this sort of thing for who knows how long. If he could sense something wrong, then chances were something was wrong. "Who?" she asked quietly, afraid if she spoke too loudly something terrible would happen.

"...somebody I haven't been near in many years." he said quietly as he lifted his wrist and pressed a button on his watch. "And somebody I'm unprepared for, I hate to admit." he had no weaponry on him, and without that he would stand next to no chance against the adversary who lay somewhere in the shadows watching them.

She wanted to ask more but it was obvious this wasn't the time. Suddenly, she too, had a feeling of dread creep up behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt goose bumps run up her arms. Hugging her self she glanced around, trying to see if she could pick out what was wrong yet everything felt fine, except that creeping dread in the air.

The blue Bentley suddenly drove up and it made her jump in alarm. Its door swung open and she saw Minion in the drivers' side, and he looked a little worried and confused about why she was with Megamind.

"We keep meeting under these circumstances, Miss. Ritchi." he said with a shaky smile as she and Megamind got into the back seat.

"Drive Minion. Take us home." Megamind said quickly, to which the fish nodded and did just that.

Engine roaring the car took off into the city streets, unaware that somebody had just been coming out of the pavilion to see them vanish... before being leapt upon by something big that had been hidden in the shadows just out of sight. A muffled cry broke in the darkness before being engulfed by silence.

_To be continued_


	7. Welcome to the Family

Roxanne sat in the back seat of the blue Bentley as it drove through the streets, glancing from Megamind sat besides her to Minion who was in the drivers seat. The car had been modified inside slightly to accommodate room for such a large driver since the gorilla suit really was a piece of work, so behind the drivers seat there was a little less room than normal but going by how slim and fit Megamind was there wasn't any problems of his legs cramping. By now he had also removed his disguise, revealing that rich blue skin she could remember so vividly.

She chewed at her bottom lip for a moment before huffing, and turned so she was looking at Megamind. "So... home?" she asked, finding herself enjoying the blue of his skin better to the fake human tone he had been wearing before.

"Uh?" Megamind had been looking out the side window at the city as it passed by, trying to see if they were being followed. So far, they weren't, so his paranoia was put at ease. "Oh. Yes. Home." he said.

"Sir I meant to ask before but did you mean her home, or our home?" Minion asked as he stopped at a red light, thankful for the time of night and tinted windows since nobody could see a fish was driving the car.

He hesitated before answering. "...ours." Megamind said. "It will make things easier."

"You've got me worried now," Roxanne said, "are you erasing my memory or not?"

He gave her a wicked little grin before laughing, and clapped his hands together. "You'll find out." he said.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked.

"Oh yes." Megamind replied, grinning still. "I've never had female company over. I mean, I have, but they were mostly associates of Father and Family members. Never before have I had a girl over and Bernard hardly counts but that's a whole other story-"

"I want to know that story." Roxanne said firmly. "No getting out of it."

"It isn't the time right now." Megamind said curtly. "I'm sorry it just isn't."

Roxanne huffed at him before glancing outside and was surprised to see they were already out of town and heading into what she, and pretty much everyone else, believed to be property owned by the Scotts. The Scotts were a wealthy couple who had hands in everything, financing medical, renovations, and entertainment within the city. They were what you would consider 'old money' but this land wasn't even near Scott Manor that over looked the city from their vantage point to the South. Before them was dense forest and bushes, but Minion seemed to know the way to drive through the undergrowth in the car without ruining any of the plant life.

"You live in the middle of the woods?" she asked quietly. Roxanne had an image form in her head of a tiny cottage like something out of a fairy tale.

"Well we can't really live in an uptown apartment with a view of the city." Megamind replied.

"And what's wrong with that?" Roxanne asked since he was pretty much detailing her own apartment loft.

"Absolutely nothing. It just does nothing for our decor." he smiled.

Ahead of them the hidden road suddenly split into three different trails, each as confounding as the last. She was going to see which one Minion turned down but Megamind suddenly jabbed her arm and she turned to look at him. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Just because." he replied with a smile. "And the dress really does look two thousand dollars too." he added.

"Hmf. Hardly the type of stuff I'd normally wear." Roxanne huffed, rubbing her arms self consciously. She wondered if he had checked her out like Hal obviously had earlier that night and if he had, he was very good at hiding it. She then remembered the road and looked ahead again, only to see they were already travelling down a road. She scowled, and knew Megamind's distraction had been on purpose.

The forest suddenly fell away and Roxanne had to hold in a gasp at what lay ahead of them. A manor, at least four storey's high, was ahead of them. The bricks were old, once they might have been an earthy tone but the years had changed their colors. Crawling plants had grown clinging to the walls and most of the visible wall was covered in greenery. Windows were shrouded from within by rich red curtains, and the whole design of the manor was old... Gothic maybe? It was hard to tell. The roofs tiles were black and defied their aged, unless they had been recently replaced but who would come out here to fix a roof of a house like this?

They came up to a tall gate that sat lodged between a wall that stretched into the distance on either side. Minion pressed a button and the large gate swung forward slowly and quietly only to silently shut after them as they drove through.

"I didn't know this was here..." she said quietly.

"Not many do." Megamind replied, "That's how we want it."

"I can see that..." Roxanne looked outside as they passed green bushes that had been shaped into all kinds of things. There was a stag on its hind legs, a horse with one leg lifted in a regal kind of pose, a lion with its mouth wide open in a silent roar... it reminded her of Edward Scissorhands. "Wow."

"Minion's handiwork." Megamind pointed out, "Right Minion?"

"Just a small hobby, of course." Minion replied smugly as he drove up the driveway, the pebbles beneath the wheels rattling against the bottom of the car. "I wonder if Wayne's in yet..." he mumbled.

Roxanne hadn't caught that name anywhere else tonight, and wondered who this Wayne was. Another ally? A butler? While she wanted to ask, she felt she would be asking far too many questions before the night was out. Once the car was parked outside the main entrance way Minion got out of the car first and before she knew he opened her side of the car for her. "Oh. Thank you." she said, and was even more surprised to see him offering his hand to help her out.

By the time she was out the car Megamind was already making his way up a small set of stairs that lead up to a huge, impressive door. It had huge knockers that were of a lions face gripping a snake in its jaws. There was a coat of arms etched into both doors that she couldn't get a good look at due to the darkness of the night and what little moonlight got through the clouds.

"Here we go." Megamind tugged one of his gloves off of one of his hands and pressed his hand over one of the lions but instead of lifting it, or trying to do anything to it. A part of the door suddenly swung back, revealing only a little section of the huge doors actually opened at all. "DNA scanner." he explained. "Makes it impossible for anyone not entered in the database to gain entrance to the house." he moved in first and held the section of door open for her to walk in, and then Minion.

"Impressive." she said with a small smile before taking in a good look at the entrance way.

It was very elaborate, and reeked of ancient money. There were tapestries, hard wooden floor boards with thick, rich carpets and rugs, portraits hung on walls and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. She was awed by the beauty in it all. Roxanne walked slowly along the long rug that ran the length of the hall way as Megamind and Minion walked with her.

"This is... this is beautiful." Roxanne finally said, "Look at all of this stuff...! How old is...?" she asked, wanting to reach out and touch something but knew better.

"Oh, couple of centuries?" Megamind asked. "But we have recent things too. This house has been in the Family for a long, long time after all." he said as he began to undo his blue suit jacket.

"You keep saying 'the Family.' Don't you have a surname?" she asked.

"Well, yes. But it's just cooler to refer to us as the Family." he replied with a smile.

"No argument there." Roxanne replied as Minion showed them through to the main living area that had book cases stock piled with books practically wall to wall, and the roaring fireplace and familiar leather armchair took centre stage since the fire had been lit that was proof enough that Wayne was home since he was not one to light a fire and leave it unattended for too long. Needing the warmth from the fire, Roxanne walked over to it and rubbed her hands in front of her and sighed as the heat swept over her. "Oh that's better..."

"Hey lil' super star!" the voice startled her since it wasn't one she knew, and Roxanne spun around to see a tall man walk into the room. He looked familiar, and she realized where she had seen him before. This was the man in the suit who had accompanied 'Michael' out of the car back at the gala but back then he had been wearing clothes. Here, he was just wearing a white dressing gown that was far too short for a man who was possibly wearing nothing whatsoever.

The man froze when he saw the woman there in the red dress, before his violet eyes slowly moved from her to Megamind and Minion. "What is she doing here?" he asked.

"Well..." Megamind started weakly.

"You brought her here?" the man asked, sounding almost disappointed. "Why?"

Roxanne watched the two talk back and forth, before glancing at Minion who was excusing himself from the conversation, and the room entirely. She looked back at the two, and frowned slightly.

"Look I'm sorry but it was the easiest thing I could do, and you'll never guess what-" Megamind was saying, before Roxanne felt it time to finally speak up.

"I'm sorry is me being here that much a problem?" she asked, causing both men to look at her. "I mean... who are you..?" Roxanne asked the tall, handsome man whose chest hair she could see peeking out from beneath the dressing gown. A part of her mind was suddenly horrified to realize this might be somebody very close to Megamind, maybe closer than anyone else could be. A boyfriend? Would that explain why Megamind was so... well. Megamind? "Are you his boyfriend or something?" Roxanne was hardly one to keep opinions silent, or questions for that matter, but even she winced after that question escaped her lips.

The look the two gave her was all the answer she needed. The tall man looked shocked while Megamind had lowered his eyebrows to the point of looking very insulted, and asking 'are you kidding?' without the use of words.

"No." Megamind finally said, dryly. "No, he is not." He gestured to the man with his hands. "The partly naked man is my brother, Wayne. Wayne, I believe you're familiar with Roxanne Ritchi?" Megamind asked, peering up at Wayne with a hopeful expression.

"Me and everyone else in town." Wayne said, obviously still feeling a little awkward for being mistaken as his brothers lover. "Hey. Nice to meet you."

"Brother?" Roxanne asked.

"Adopted." they both said in unison.

"Ah." she nodded before smiling as sweetly as she could at Wayne. "Sorry about that. You know, this city. It takes all types, you know?" she asked.

"As one of those types, yeah. I know." he replied with a smoother smile as he walked closer to her, and took her hand into his and kissed the back of it in the same manner Megamind had after dancing with her. "Pleasure to meet you finally."

"Finally?" she asked, withdrawing her hand.

She suddenly remembered something, and was once more astounded by how her memory and mind worked when it had a little bit of alcohol in her. Bernard, for the past few months, had been muttering at lengths about a 'Wayne' in his life who he was quite fond of but didn't know how to further any kind of connection with him. Roxanne had given him all types of advice on the matter, yet it seemed nothing worked at all. She had begun to wonder if Bernard had even attempted any of the ideas she had given him, and here she stood with who she quite rightly believed to be this mysterious Wayne.

No wonder Bernard was smitten, he was certainly handsome in that rugged kind of way.

"He's been talking about you for _ages_." Wayne said with a grin, "Even more so after saving you. I tell ya, it's-excuse me did a fly just land on me?" he glanced down to see Megamind attempting to shove him away from Roxanne. The attempt was futile, of course. He laughed and nudged at his brother before taking a few steps away. "All right, I get it. I get it."

"_Thank_ you." Megamind muttered under his breath, cheeks a faint lavender.

"Miss. Ritchi would you care for a refreshment?" Minion had returned holding a platter of crackers with assorted dips on it, as well as a glass full of what looked like ice tea.

"Oh! Uhm. Yes, please. Thank you, Minion." she said, taking the glass and a few crackers before glancing around. She eyed the chair by the fireplace but got the feeling that it was important, and probably not for her to sit in. Instead she made her way to another chair and sat, while Megamind undid the white tie around his neck and removed it along with the blue jacket. Roxanne found herself watching him quietly, but took a sip of ice tea before she got too involved in watching a blue man remove pieces of clothing. "So..." she started. "How long have you been doing this? Fighting vampires, taking names, having women followed by their best friend?"

Megamind picked up a few crackers from Minion's offered platter, but Wayne shook his head for no, and walked to a chair next to Roxanne's. "Well to answer the last question first this is the only time such a thing has happened." he said, crossing his legs before taking a bite out of a cracker. "Bernard isn't exactly the type of guy to have a lot of friends, you're his only one after all. He was all kinds of against watching you, wasn't he Wayne?"

"Hated it." Wayne said as he stood by a window, staring out at the full moon outside that was just now peeking through the clouds. "He really does care about your friendship, since like Megs said, he hasn't got any others."

She frowned. "But he knew it was you I was investigating, why not just tell me he knew you?"

"Because that would compromise everything." Megamind said. "Nobody outside our informants and other Family members are meant to know about us. Even if an informant knows somebody researching us, they can't act and tell the investigator about us. It's up to us if we make contact and in this case... we have." he smiled at her sweetly.

"So... others have...?" she asked.

"You're not the first person. Normally after being notified of any kind of researching we'd swoop in, erase memories, and move on." Wayne explained as he pulled away from the window. "This time though..." he glanced at Megamind, then back to her with a smile. "We didn't."

Roxanne was certain she was blushing though she really didn't understand why. Did it have to do with the fact Megamind didn't erase her memory at all? That he had been talking about her at lengths? That he had made a great exception for her? Or that she was in the room with two fairly attractive men, one of which was dressed in only one piece of clothing? Later she would blame the alcohol in her system. "So you think I can really be a help?" she asked.

"Most definitely." Megamind said with a smile. "B-but it isn't just because you can help our cause."

"No?" she asked, fluttering her lids playfully at him.

"...n-no." he squeaked. "Hgm." Megamind coughed.

Feeling slightly empowered Roxanne laughed, before taking another drink of her ice tea. "So how long have you been fighting...?"

"Ever since we were brought here." Wayne said before pointing back into the hall they had come through. "You saw the portrait, right? White haired man, holding the vampire head?"

"How could I not, it's kind of hard to miss." Roxanne said, glancing past him as if she could see the portrait.

"He's our Father." Wayne explained. "He adopted Megs and got him out of the jail he had landed in pretty early and my parents brought me here."

"Why would they do that?" she asked.

The two brothers looked at one another. Megamind raised his eyebrows with a questioning look while Wayne chewed at his bottom lip for a moment, before sighing and his shoulders sagged slightly in defeat. A whole conversation she wasn't privy to had just taken place, cementing the fact these two were indeed brothers and had been so for a long time.

"Because I was too powerful for them to handle." he said. "I was breaking things, and almost seriously injured somebody, before they brought me here where Father could control me."

"Powerful, wait. What? Take a few steps back I'm really confused and somewhat drunk right now..." Roxanne said.

"He's an alien like me." Megamind said as he got to his feet. "He doesn't look it, but he is. You see we came from the Glaopunk Quadrant and our two planets lived side by side much like how Earth and Mars are. Our sun however, became a black hole and because of that all the planets around it were being sucked in. Both our parents, unaware of the others actions, sent their sons into the galaxy. The last of the species." he glanced up at his brother, then back to Roxanne. "Our ships brought us here. I, landed in jail. Wayne landed in the Scotts house and they thought, oh hey cool a baby let's raise it."

"The Scotts? _The_ Scotts?" Roxanne asked, eyes wide.

"The very same." Wayne said. "The novelty of a super powered baby wore out soon. My race, you see, or maybe Earth's affect on me when I landed, gave me super human strength. I can fly, I'm very strong, pretty much indestructible. All in all, too powerful for a baby. But my parents learned about Father and how he took in the other alien baby in town and thought he'd be better off raising me. And, shockingly, he did."

"Wow. That's... impressive. So you fight, like Megamind?" Roxanne glanced at Megamind, who was helping himself to some more ice tea.

"No. I hate fighting." he replied.

"What?" she asked flatly.

"He's a pacifist." Megamind said, returning to his seat. "Besides, it's Family custom that in each small part of the family is one fighter amongst the children while the others assist any way they can. It's our law, and it's been that way for generations."

"So what do you do?" Roxanne asked of Wayne.

"Well looking as human as I do, I head out into the world and try to find leads. I'm what you could call a spy? I have connections in all kinds of fields, I work aboard, all to research and find out about the vampire movements to relay back to my brother who goes off and kicks their asses." Wayne explained.

"So you're a partnership, more or less..." she said, more to herself. "And you have other contacts too, obviously."

"We need all the help we can get. That's where Bernard, and many others come in." Wayne explained.

"How did you meet Bernard, then? How did he get tangled up in all this?" she asked.

The two men exchanged glances again. Megamind sucked on his bottom lip while Wayne flushed somewhat, before grunting. "We met him several years ago. He's... hm."

"I know he's gay, if that's what you're saying?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh we know that." Wayne said, "It's just. There's something else about him that only a select few know and we don't know if you know. Do you know?" he asked.

"No I... guess not?" she felt like she didn't really know her best friend at all if he was involved in vampire hunting and held these secrets from her. Then again he was meant to be an ally, a spy contact, and you don't become one of those by flapping your gums at everyone you knew. "Hm."

"Don't be disheartened." Wayne walked towards her and placed his hand on her bare shoulder. "He's a good guy. A great guy. You know that, we both do too. He's just got a great weight on him, and he doesn't like sharing it with people. Once he knows you're involved with us, he might open up to you too."

"Let's call him now." Roxanne said firmly. "Get him over here."

"We can't." Megamind said almost instantly.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because then you'll be all over him and not paying him the slightest bit of attention." Wayne answered, gesturing to his brother. "And then he'll mope and feel pathetic for days on end and that'll reflect upon his vampire slaying, he'll be sloppy."

Roxanne couldn't help but laugh, clapped her hands together and sighed afterwards. "No, we wouldn't want that now would we?" she asked.

"Nobody does, of course." Wayne smiled.

Megamind glared at his brother for a long moment before coughing curtly. "Now that we're done emasculating me..." he started.

"So your Father taught you how to fight?" Roxanne asked him, honestly curious. "How old were you when you started learning?"

"Oh, well... I was very smart you must understand." Megamind explained. "I was only eight days old when my parents sent me aboard in my ship with Minion, also the last of his species I might add," he gestured to the fish who was feeding himself some crackers. "And within a fortnight of that I was already talking, and knew how to read. It's the brain, you see. Big for a reason."

"But of course." she smiled.

He flushed somewhat, and pressed on. "Well, Father taught me the theory first. I learned of the different breeds of vampires, their capabilities, habits, strengths and most important their weaknesses. When I finally had the muscle capacity to stand and walk did he begin teaching me how to actually fight."

"He was very excited when he was finally able to fight with a sword." Wayne smirked. "How old were you?"

"Seven years, five months, two weeks and four days." Megamind sighed wistfully.

"A sword? But vampires need to be staked through the heart to die, don't they?" Roxanne asked.

"Most do. There are some breeds who need to be disembodied. Limbs removed, head chopped off, and set on fire. I don't like dealing with those guys, blood gets everywhere." Megamind explained. "But as such, I needed to know how to wield a sword just as well as I know how to fight hand to hand."

"That's really impressive for.. you know. Someone like yourself." she commented, looking him over quickly.

"Someone like myself? What does that mean?" Megamind asked.

"Well. Face facts, if somebody looked at you and Wayne side by side and told one of you was the fighter, everyone would assume it was Wayne. You're not exactly what people imagine when they think of vampire slayer." Roxanne said bluntly and honestly. "You look like the guy who would be going out there, gathering information. Not Wayne."

"She's got a point." Wayne smirked.

"Nnhh. Not a point I like." Megamind huffed before he suddenly looked surprised, and spun around to look up at Wayne. "I almost forgot!"

"What?" Wayne asked.

"I felt their presence tonight, when Roxanne and I was leaving the gala." Megamind said.

It was like Megamind had just handed Wayne the news, and it was absolutely horrible news. His complacent expression was replaced with a grim look of hopelessness, before followed by anger. "And? What happened?" he asked.

"I couldn't confront them and you know that." Megamind replied, frowning. "I hadn't any weapons on me!"

"That's why I keep telling you to keep something on you at all times! A stake at least, or a small hand knife concealed somewhere!" Wayne shot back.

"They had _metal detectors_, brother of mine." frowned Megamind. "I would have been arrested if I had any sort of weapon on me!"

Wayne groaned and turned away, before marching over to the window and stared out at the wilderness that surrounded their house. "I can't... after all this time?" he asked as he lifted his gaze to the moon that had fallen behind a cloud cover. "They finally show up and you couldn't do anything?"

"I'm sorry." Megamind said quietly. "I hated it too."

The woman sat there with the brothers, looking from one to another. Something serious would have happened tonight, if Megamind had a weapon on him. There was something out there, something big and important that these two were involved in. She had to know.

"I know I'm asking all these questions but... what are you talking about?" she asked quietly, softly since it was obvious this was a sensitive topic.

Wayne continued to stare out the window, obviously leaving this bit of information to his brother to relay. Sighing, Megamind walked over to Roxanne and stood besides her as he stared into the fireplace that warmed him.

"When we were fourteen we were training in the woods outside. Father was teaching me how to properly utilize the terrain when fighting, since it's an important factor to take into account when fighting. I knew the theory, of course, and my training always took a long time so I wouldn't make any mistakes." Megamind said quietly, setting his hands over his chest as he spoke.

"Too late did we realize our location was compromised… and they came out of nowhere." he continued.

"Vampires?" Roxanne asked quietly.

"Vampires. A lot of them. Father and I fought as best as we could, and felled several of them before this... _great_ sense of evil washed over us. It was like the whole world had just gone. Dead. Father told me to run home, to run and not look back." Megamind took in a shaken, deep breath. "I refused, but he turned on me, and injured me on purpose so I would have no choice but to run since I couldn't fight. I've still got the stupid scar, too."

"They killed him, didn't they...?" she asked gently, glancing over to Wayne who continued to stare out the window.

Megamind didn't answer the question; instead he shut his eyes tightly as his hands formed fists against his arms. "From then on it's only been the three of us living here, getting help from our contacts that knew us through Father. They took our Father from us. Even if we weren't fighting them before, this only made our efforts triple in dealing with them." he opened his eyes finally, and looked at her with an awkward smile on his face. "Pretty dramatic, isn't it?" he asked.

"Very." Roxanne agreed, returning the smile with a small, sad one before reaching out and touched his elbow with her hand. "The kind of drama I'll be more than happy to help you with."

"Oh good." Megamind sighed. "I would have hated to alter your memory."

"You and me both."

_To be continued_


	8. Hair of the Dog

When her eyes fluttered open, Roxanne didn't know where she was. The only thing she was aware of was that she was only wearing her knickers, and was in a bed that wasn't her own. Sitting up quickly she looked around the well furnished room she had awoken in, and the memories of the night before came flooding back. The paintings on the walls suddenly made sense, as did the old fashion emerald green colored wall paper and the black chandelier hanging above her four poster bed.

She had ended up talking long into the night with both Megamind and Wayne about their lives, and how they functioned as a team. It had been interesting of course, but sleep catches up with all of us sooner or later and when she had begun to yawn far too often, Megamind had insisted she go to bed.

He had helped her to the room, saying it was one of the guests room and pointed out where the bathroom had been. Had she thanked him at all? She couldn't remember. Glancing at a near by chair she saw her two thousand dollar dressed tossed over it along with her push-up bra and small bag. On the floor was her matching shoes, accompanied by the sheer stockings she had worn.

Sighing she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before glancing around the room, hoping to see a dressing gown somewhere. There was, though, an old wooden cupboard that reminded her of the stories about Narnia. It was engraved with trees, intricate but beautiful designs and flowers of various kinds. Making her way over to the cupboard she pulled it open and found it was full of womens clothing.

They hadn't mentioned a woman in their lives... so why were there beautiful dresses of all kinds? She reached out and pulled out a peach colored dress that looked like it had stepped out of the forties. Pushing a few more dresses away revealed more recent clothes, simple skirts and blouses but nothing too 'recent'. Had the boys ever had a Mother? There weren't any portraits of her... if she had been killed by vampires too, surely that would fuel the lust that the two had for destroying vampires?

Humming, she found a soft purple dressing gown, and pulled it over her shoulders and tied it around her waist before heading to the bedroom door and pushed it open.

Walking into the hallway she smelt breakfast cooking somewhere, and it smelt wonderful. Bacon, eggs, toast, and possibly hash browns? Her stomach growled noisily at her since she hadn't had a full meal the night before, only crackers and finger foods had passed her lips along with ice tea. She made quick use of the facilities, and after washing her face she walked back into the hallway and began heading down one direction in hopes of finding the stairs.

The paintings on the walls gave her pause, though. There were people of various races painted up there, all of them spanning different ages and sizes. She liked the one of the African woman dressed in clothing from the eighteen twenties holding a sword and using it as a prop to keep her standing up. Her eyes shun with a determination Roxanne hadn't seen in a woman's eyes before. This was a woman who had been the fighter, despite being a woman and black.

Did the Family hold no gender or racial restraints?

Looking at more portraits only confirmed her theory. There were a few Chinese men holding their weaponry, or in one case a dead vampire in their grasp. She saw women, and men, all of them wearing different clothing too. Some were simple every day 'casual' wear, while others were done up to the nines. Roxanne felt like she was walking through a museum since some of these paintings looked very, very old.

"Miss. Ritchi!" the voice surprised Roxanne so much she squeaked, and spun around to see Minion standing just around the corner from where she had stopped. "Sorry!" the fish apologized.

"Oh, no. No it's okay...!" it was still surreal talking to an alien fish in a gorilla suit.

"I was just coming to see if you were awake, I made you breakfast!" Minion held up a tray in his hands that was covered in a silver cover. "Would you rather take it in the dining room with Wayne and Sir?"

"Oh, downstairs please... um. I meant to ask, Minion. You call Megamind Sir but not Wayne... why?" she asked as she began to follow the fish past some busts now.

"Well. My allegiance falls to Master, not Mr. Wayne. Sir's parents gave me to him, and told him I would take care of him. So that's what I do. Mr. Wayne is very capable of taking care of himself but I'm also there for him, too. He _is_ Sir's brother, after all." the fish explained as they began walking down a stone curving staircase. "I take care of both of them, but Sir is my only Sir."

"Do you like doing all this stuff for two grown men though?" Roxanne asked.

"Yes." Minion nodded his tiny body. "I live to help, and take care of them since neither have parents here."

Roxanne fell quiet before remembering the clothes in her cupboard. "Minion, did they have a Mother?" she asked.

Minion didn't answer, mainly since as soon as they reached the end of the stairs Wayne was standing there. Unlike last night he was actually dressed, and looked very suave in his suit and tie. Seemed like he had heard them since he looked apprehensive, standing there like that.

"Yes we did." he said. "She left when Megamind and I were only a few years old. She couldn't handle the lifestyle, and Father let her leave."

"O-oh. Sorry..." Roxanne replied sheepishly, face reddening.

"It's not your place to apologize." Wayne shrugged. "You asked, now you know. Don't mention it to Megamind. I've forgiven her, since I know it can't be easy to see your sons being trained to deal with monsters that could kill them. Him, though... some wounds run very deep."

She understood that, and nodded.

"This way Miss. Ritchi, the dining table is this way." Minion gestured.

"Are you joining us?" Roxanne asked Wayne.

"Nope. I've got a meeting." Wayne said as he slipped some sunglasses over his face. "I'll see you later, Roxy, probably." he grinned charmingly, and she chuckled.

"Sure. Bye..." she watched as he left the house, but didn't hear a car start up. Roxanne was just beginning to head to the window when she heard somebody else coming down the stairs.

"Roxanne...!" it was Megamind, of course. She turned and smiled at him in greeting, before giving a small snort of amusement. He was wearing pajamas that could be considered adorable since they were blue with various hazard signs printed on them and his slippers were black bats. Seconds too late he realized how he must look, and his face purpled. "...I'll be right back." and he was off, running back up the stairs.

Chuckling to herself, Roxanne finally made her way through to the dinning room where Minion was setting her up a place at the table. "Thank you, Minion." she thanked the fish as he pulled a chair out for her and sat. "Oh wow this looks amazing...!" she marveled at the plate full of food ahead of her, and was impressed by the fact he had orange juice, coffee, and tea on offer for morning drinks. "I hope they pay you, Minion..."

The fish scoffed as he tugged the curtains of a few more windows open, allowing more sunlight to stream into the room.

"Ahem." Megamind coughed curtly to himself as he walked into the room, now wearing a deep red smokers' jacket and had appeared to have changed the bottoms of his pajamas into black pinstriped pants. Even his footwear had changed into simple tartan slippers. "Good morning!" he greeted her as he walked up to the table.

"Morning." Roxanne smiled. "I must say, I normally don't get this kind of treatment from a guy without blowing his mind the night before." she said as she cut into the egg and toast.

Megamind flushed brilliantly, but luckily she missed it. "Well...!" he said, tugging at the collar of his smokers' jacket. "You blew my mind, last night."

"I did?" Roxanne glanced up at him.

"At how well you took all of this." Megamind said,, holding his arms out to gesture to the whole room. "I mean... I always thought if someone learned about all this they would freak out at us, or go running to escape. You didn't..."

"I try not to be like everyone else." she smiled, hoping no egg was dribbling down her chin.

"Well good. Everyone else is so boring." he grinned before taking a seat. Minion hurried away to another room, probably to fetch his breakfast. "So did you sleep well?" Megamind asked.

"Like a baby." Roxanne replied.

"So you cried and wet the bed?" he asked.

Roxanne arched an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, stupid joke. One Wayne's told to me all my life. I just wanted to try it out on someone else." Megamind apologized before leaning back as Minion placed a plate similar to Roxanne's in front of him only it had more hash browns. "Thank you Minion."

"No problems, Sir!" chirped the fish.

"How about you, sleep well?" Roxanne asked.

"Not really." he admitted. "I kept worrying about what happened after the party last night, after we left. What if they got someone?" Megamind asked, picking up his knife and began cutting into his bacon and toast.

"Do you think they changed them, or just consumed?" she asked, having learned a lot about what vampires do the night before.

"Depends, since I can't tell if they're hungry or not. They knew it was a crowded place, and risked being spotted by somebody. But a bigger crowd makes easier pickings, just like in nature. Any weak or stragglers get snatched up." Megamind mused before eating what was on his fork.

Roxanne nodded. "If I hear tell about someone missing from work today want me to call you?" she asked.

Megamind blinked in surprise, before smiling. "That... that'd be great." he smiled.

They both smiled at each other before going back to their breakfast.

~*~

Bernard pushed his glasses onto his nose and squinted at the morning light. It was his turn to open up the library for the morning patrons, and he hated it when he got this job. It meant coming into work very early, opening all the blinds, unlocking the doors, and ensuring all the security devices that needed to be off were off, and those that had to be on were on. Even though the library didn't open until nine o'clock meant he had to be in there by seven thirty to ensure everyone was done right.

Seemed the night time cleaners had left some mess, since one of the plants had been tipped over so there was dirt on the floor.

"I have to do everything." he muttered as he went to seek out the dust pan and brush. Going into the backrooms he found one with the label still on and wondered just how new it was as he turned and began heading back into the library but found his way barred by someone. He yelped and jumped back, before glaring at who it was. "Wayne... you know I hate it when you do that..."

"Sorry. Force of habit." shrugged the man who, this morning, looked especially well to do in his pinstripe suit. He smiled, and Bernard's annoyance at him melted instantly. "Morning Bernard."

"Morning." Bernard mumbled as he walked around him.

"How are you this morning?" Wayne asked as he followed Bernard into the library.

"Well as I can be." answered Bernard. "You?"

"well enough. Just thought I'd stop by to warn you that you're in trouble." Wayne said as he looked at the books that they stopped by.

"Trouble?" Bernard asked, turning to look up at the man and adjusted his glasses as he did. "Why am I in trouble?" he asked. "Nothing happened last night..."

"No, no. I'm not talking about that." Wayne assured him, looking back down at the bespectacled man. "Roxy. She knows everything."

"How much of everything is everything?"

"Not everything. Just that you've known me and Megamind for several years, you're our contact person, and that you were watching her for us." explained Wayne.

Bernard groaned before continuing to the mess and once there he knelt down and began brushing the dirt into the dust pan. "That's just great." Bernard muttered. "So Megamind allowed her into the little circle then?" he asked.

"Pretty much. She's a good girl, very dedicated. I can see why you two are friends." Wayne's voice answered. "Hey you know you have spider webs up here?"

Glancing over his shoulder Bernard saw that Wayne was hovering completely off the floor, hanging near the lights with great scrutiny. "Forgive me for not having legs the length of ladders." he said dryly. "I'll look into them later." he turned back to the task at hand. "So let me guess, Roxanne is going to fly in here demanding to know how I met you guys?" he asked.

"I can only guess. Last I saw her she was having breakfast with Megamind." Wayne replied as he slowly returned to Earth.

"How quaint." muttered Bernard. "Stupid dirt..." he added since some of the dirt had been stepped in by somebody, probably the cleaner, and was mashed into the carpet fibers. He dug at it with his nails. "So how long do you think I've got until Roxanne's cut my balls off?"

Wayne couldn't help but laugh. "She can't be that bad!" he said.

"She can be tenacious if she wants." Bernard stood up and turned, and had to step back since he hadn't figured Wayne to be so close to him suddenly. His glasses fogged momentarily. "You're right though, she's a good girl. Good at pulling me into line."

"You? Into line? I thought that normally meant a leash being used?" Wayne asked with a grin.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Bernard said sarcastically.

"Aw don't be like that." Wayne grinned, and playfully punched his shoulder. Thankfully through the help of Father, he knew how to contain his strength. If he couldn't, Bernard could have had a shattered arm and shoulder at this point. "You know I kid."

Bernard wanted to pout but thought better of it. Pouting is too childish for him since that was more up Megmaind's isle. Funny how the guy could decapitate a vampire with a sword or drive a stake through their heart one moment but then fuss and bitch about getting ash in his clothes seconds later. So instead he sighed and moved away from Wayne, heading back towards the back room to empty the dust bin into the bin.

"Yeah I know." he said, before taking a quick breath. "I was wondering though. We've been meeting like this for too long. How about I drag you outside and eat somewhere like normal people?" Bernard asked.

He got no answer.

"I mean. If your schedule allows." he continued, dumping the mess into the bin.

Still there was no answer.

"Or, maybe..." Bernard turned, and found himself alone. He stared at the empty area, before walking back into the library. Wayne was gone, probably off to meet more people or whatever it was he did.

"...or not." he mumbled before groaning to himself. "That was pathetic." Bernard told himself. "See, that's what you call a sign. Not meant to happen not with him, or anyone. It's too dangerous and stupid..." Bernard put the dust bin away in frustration before continuing his morning routine and waited for Roxanne to arrive to tear him a new one.

What could he do to explain himself? Beg for her forgiveness? No, that wasn't who he was. He would tell her it was his job to do it, and he could make no apologies about it. She did her job with all her heart, just like he did his. Being a librarian was his job of course, but he was also an informant. You don't become an informant by telling everyone you care about what you do, after all. If he had done that, his mind would be completely void of any vampire hunting aliens in his city and that would make him miserable.

Since then he wouldn't know Wayne at all.

And that would be a travesty.

So he went about his business, greeted Mrs. Brown when she arrived at quarter to nine and they had their morning tea and coffee together.

"You're not looking well, Bernard." Mrs. Brown commented as she sipped her black tea. "Are you getting sick?"

"Hm? No. This is my face. It normally looks like this." he replied with a smirk as he stirred the sugar into his coffee.

"That's not what I meant. You look unwell around the eyes. You need more sleep, young man. If you don't rest your body you'll be old before you know it. And seeing grey hairs in your head will only make me feel older than I already am." she said with a soft smile.

"Wouldn't want that, would we?" he asked with a grin.

Bernard, in turn, wasn't at all surprised when Roxanne showed up around midday that day. It was her lunch break, and he saw her walk into the library with purpose this morning in her business suited short skirt and heels. He heard Mrs. Brown tell her he was sorting the newspaper wracks and groaned as he collected up discarded papers from the reading desks as she approached.

"Bernard." Roxanne said, hands set on her shapely hips.

"Roxanne." he replied just as sternly, not looking at her. "Have you seen the Sports section anywhere?"

"No. Bernard, I need to talk to you." she followed him as he walked away, trying to find the missing section of the Morning Gaze.

"Aren't we talking now?" he asked, glancing over at her with a tired expression.

"Oh wow you look like crap." Roxanne stopped in her pursuit to stare at him. Bernard really did look like the living dead this morning. His hair was a bigger mess than normal, his skin looked pale and there were great big circles around his eyes. "Are you sick?"

He sighed heavily. "No, I'm not sick... thank you for asking, though."

"You just thanked me. You _are_ sick. Are you dying? Don't tell me you're dying." she sounded actually very concerned now, the anger and determination in her voice waning.

He stared at her with a 'are you kidding me?' type of expression before sighing, and set the Morning Gaze on the table. "No, I'm not. You normally don't see me like this. But this isn't about me, it's about... well me, but a different part of me isn't it?" he asked.

Roxanne hesitated, before remembering why she was here. Then she realized what he just said meant he knew. "Damn it, did Wayne come here? And is this the 'Wayne' you've been going on at me about for months?" she demanded, hands back on hips meaning Roxanne was back in business.

Sighing again, Bernard slumped into a chair and looked up at her. "Yes. To both questions." he muttered.

"So you know I know about you." Roxanne stated.

"I know that you know only a little about what I know and do. So what do you know exactly?" he countered with.

She stared at him before glancing around. "Not here. Too many ears and eyes."

"Stealthy. Follow me. Break room will be empty." he got out of his chair, deposited the newspaper where it belonged with the rest and they walked up the stairs through to the break room on the second floor. Most of the librarians preferred the one on the first floor since it was larger and had the snack machines along with the coffee machine in there. The second one was the original break room from the library so it was small, with only enough room for a table, some chairs and a lone sink where a lonely kettle sat to boil water.

As he said, it was empty. Bernard shut, and locked, the door after him once Roxanne was inside.

"All right. Spill." Roxanne said, "And I'll find out if you're lying to me."

"No doubt. You're a reporter after all." Bernard replied as he walked to a chair and slumped into it, and put his hands together. "All right. You want to know how I met them?"

"Please." she replied, finding her own chair to sit on.

"It happened eight years ago." Bernard started, "And it was a dark and stormy night."

"Oh please." Roxanne scoffed. "Dramatics."

"Allow me a few small pleasures, please." he replied. 

**Eight Years Ago**

"Why did Minion have to break down tonight?" Wayne asked as he drove the car through the streets. "And why can't you learn how to drive exactly?" he asked, eyeing Megamind.

"Because you need a birth certificate and other paperwork in which to obtain a drivers lisence and if you forget I don't have either." Megamind replied testily as he checked his sword for the hundredth time. "Besides I like being driven around. Makes me feel important."

"Hmmhmm." the older of the two rolled his eyes before marking the invisible car along the rail road track.

A body had been located just that morning at this site and the poor girl had been all but ripped to shreds, most of her blood spilt. It was an obvious sign of a berserker vampire, the type who don't stop for anything and attack like wild animals. Most of their human traits were gone, erased after years of feeding and madness that was probably already rotting their brains to begin with. Megamind never liked facing these vampires since it meant getting close to them in order to lop off their limbs and set them on fire to kill them properly.

Stepping out of the car Megamind walked across the train tracks and looked at the police tape that still remained in place long after the girl's body had been taken away. He sighed, staring mournfully at the site even if he hadn't known her.

He suddenly stilled, and drawn his sword as he heard rushing movement through the bushes. Megamind hurried out of the way as not one, but two bodies came lunging out of the darkness. Startling a cry Megamind backed away since one of them wasn't a vampire at all.

One of them was a vampire, a female one at that. She was mostly bald, her pale white skin glittering in the darkness and her frail frame was only ruined by her sickly looking bulging stomach that let him know she had recently eaten. But what was fighting her was the last thing Megamind would have expected.

A wolf. A brown, massive wolf with sharp glistening teeth and large paws and claws. The beast and the vampire tumbled and barely missed the car in which Wayne was now climbing out of to watch, shocked at the scene.

The wolf suddenly reared onto its hind legs, while its front paws grabbed the vampire by the head and slammed her into a tree head first. A dreadful cracking noise filled the air, and the woman shrieked in pain as the wolf leapt upon her again, snarling and ripping at her body. Megamind watched, unable to pull his eyes away as the wolf began to tear the woman apart, doing his job for him. But then he realized once the wolf was done with her, it may lash out at anyone else.

And was this a wolf at all? It seemed to prefer standing on its hind legs, and being able to grab things...

It was a werewolf. An actual, honest to God, werewolf. Father had told them of the wolves of old, who wore human skin and fought against vampires since both species had been at odds against each other since the birth of monsters. Vampires looked down their noses at werewolves since they believed them to be nothing but slobbering idiots. Werewolves detested vampires for their assumptions about them, and how rotten they stank. Whenever a vampire and a werewolf crossed paths, their Father had told them, chances were blood would be spilt and a vampire would die.

This made werewolves, in a way, an ally to him and his kin. But they were dangerous, unstable and this fact was made all the more obvious since as soon as the vampire's dying screams faded the werewolf spun on his feet and snarled viciously at Megamind.

While Megamind assumed fighting a werewolf was no different to fighting a berserker vampire, he wasn't prepared for this kind of fight at all. Still, he readied his sword for when the wolf would attack since it was obviously planning on doing that. No doubt Megamind's sword stunk of vampires, having ended so many of the monsters lives the smell of them clung to the metal and drew the wolves attention like flies to sugar.

The werewolf snarled and leapt at Megamind, but never reached his target. Wayne was upon him, and with one swift punch from his hand the werewolf was unconscious on the ground, knocked out cold.

"...hey!" Megamind cried.

"What?" Wayne asked.

"I had everything under control!" Megamind snapped.

"Oh please. Now come on, you've got a job remember?" he asked, gesturing to the remains of the vampire.

Scowling, Megamind hurried to the car to gather up the bag he'd have to put the vampires remains into. You didn't burn a vampire in such a public place, they had a furnace at home just for this occasion. Meanwhile Wayne approached the werewolf who remained lying there, dead to the world. Kneeling, he stroked the animal's head, and quickly opened one of its eyes. Unstaring brown eyes met his, and he sighed before turning to glance at his brother who was shoveling the remains into a body bag.

"We can't leave him like this." Wayne said.

"What?" Megamind turned, staring at his brother.

"Him." he pointed to the werewolf. "We can't leave him."

"Why not?" asked Megamind.

"Because it's wrong. He's a person; this is just a horrible disease that transforms him every full moon. He's a danger to himself and anyone else he might run in to." Wayne pointed out. "He needs to be taken care of."

"If you want a pet by all means, take him home but I am not having that thing in my car." Megamind said, glaring at the big, furry beast.

"No problem. I'll take him home myself." Wayne said, and easily picked up the werewolf into his arms before flying upwards into the sky and was soon gone.

"Yeah you do that!" Megamind called after him before pausing, and realized something. "...I can't DRIVE!" 

**The present**

Roxanne stared at Bernard blankly. "What the heck was that?" she asked. "First vampires, now werewolves?" she asked.

"Is it that far a stretch?" Bernard asked.

"Well... no but... where were you? You said that was how you met them, but you weren't there! How could you know what they were doing or what-" Roxanne's voice froze in her throat as realization dawned on her. Bernard _had_ been there, and this story had no doubt been relayed to him once he was... was... "You?" she asked.

"Me." he replied flatly. "Last night was a full moon, wasn't it?"

"Yes... that's... that's why we couldn't call you and why..." Roxanne was putting one and two together.

"Why I look like this today. My moons always take a lot out of me since... well. Takes a lot of energy to change." he explained.

"So... you're a... werewolf. Who works with vampire hunters and... works in a library too." Roxanne said slowly.

"Yes. Do you want me to talk slower?" he asked, giving a faint smile.

"No, no." she shook her head. "Sorry. I'm just learning a whole lot of things this past week it seems. So after coming to, what happened?" she asked.

"I came to on their property, and Wayne was there to talk to me. He told me who they were, what they did, and that they could help me by ways of offering me assistance on my Moons." Bernard explained. "That, with my keen sense of smell, I could all but smell out vampires wherever I was. See, that had been my first change, I didn't even know I was a werewolf but to have support, right off the bat like that, really helped me."

"How do they help you?" Roxanne asked.

"They lock me up in their basement on my Moons." he said flatly.

"...what?" she asked.

"I'm restrained in a body harness so I'm not a threat to anybody in case I escape. Wayne bring some food, raw cow mostly, and I feast on that. That's been my routine for eight years now." Bernard explained. "I park just outside the fence of their place, and when I change I take myself home to get dressed for work and here I am. Every month, after a moon, Mrs. Brown tells me how sick I look but she never figured it out. You didn't, either."

"I don't see you every day like she does, though." Roxanne pointed out. She wondered now if she'd be allowed down into the basement to see what kind of set up they had arranged for Bernard. Was Megamind all right with that? Wayne appeared to be the one to reach out to him first, so maybe their friendship was stronger than that to Megamind? Plus, this explained just why Bernard was so smitten with Wayne. Not only was he handsome, but he understood Bernard's plight and wasn't afraid of him.

"So how did you become a werewolf?" Roxanne asked, wanting to know thanks to that curious streak in her.

"Nothing fancy. I wasn't attacked or anything like that. I got it from a blood transfusion." Bernard said. "Since the disease is transferred via bodily fluids, I was doomed the second I had the blood transfusion."

"Surely the person giving the blood knew they were a werewolf..." Roxanne said slowly.

"Maybe it was a cruel joke on their behalf. Luckily one of the nurses in the hospital is a friend of Wayne's and when he got word it happened the original blood was destroyed and never used on anyone else." Bernard explained. "So... yeah. I'm a werewolf. Which is why holding down a relationship is pretty much impossible."

"Why?" she asked.

"You try telling someone you care for that one night every month you turn into an animal who would no sooner rip their head off to eat them than look at them?" Bernard asked. "No. I can't. People like me just don't do dating."

Roxanne looked at him sadly, before getting up and moved over to him to crouch besides the chair he was in. "Well. Either way, even if you've been keeping all these things from me you're still my friend."

"Really?" he asked quietly.

"Really. I've known you too long to just give up on you like this, and you know far too much about me for my liking." she grinned playfully.

"Ha, ha." Bernard replied sarcastically, before genuinely smiling at her. "Thanks, Roxanne. This... this really does mean a lot. Far more than you know. Nobody else knows about this, not even my parents know... it's one thing to come out to them, another to tell them you're a werewolf."

"I can't begin to understand how that must be like for you." Roxanne said gently before placing her hand onto his, and smiled faintly. "But you've got nothing to worry about. You're the same old, sarcastic, dry and witty Bernard to me. Only now that when you talk about Wayne I just know who you're talking about." she grinned playfully at him.

"Oh boy. That _will_ be fun." he replied dryly, but still with the same smile on his face.

_To be continued_


	9. This is Bat Country

Megamind was lying in the dining room on the couch with a book propped on his stomach as his eyes scanned the page. The book was on loan from his cousin in Argentina that detailed the history of the Family in South America. It was always interesting for the alien to read up about his extended family, to see how they thrived and spread the word of vampire slaying through the generations.

Turning a page he was surprised to see a familiar face amongst a group of people from a photo taken over thirty five years ago. There, standing amongst the dark skinned group of people, was Father. The man stood out like a sore thumb with his pale complexion and recognizable features and that moustache that must have taken root on his lip as soon as facial hair had begun to sprout on his young face.

But standing besides him was a face Megamind hadn't seen in twenty five years. Mother. Her curly hair was unmistakable, tied back with a ribbon and looked calm, serene, standing besides her husband. Megamind's hands tightened on the book for a moment and had just started to turn the page without reading the information on it before his phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed to life.

"Gah!" he jumped, dropped the book, and tugged it out of his jeans. The number came up as 'Roxanne 3' and he flushed slightly. She was calling him already? Swallowing shakily he sat up on his couch and pressed the green button before putting it to his ear. "O-ollo?" he greeted, hating the stammer in his voice or how it had swallowed up the first part of the word.

"Megamind, hi!" Roxanne sounded happy, and that was a good thing.

"Roxanne, hey...! How are you?" he asked, digging his nails down against his jeans leg.

"Good, yeah. I caught up with Bernard, he explained everything." she said, "I can't believe it though! This is like something out of a movie."

He smiled faintly, before laying back down on the couch. "Oh, uh, yeah. It is, isn't it? Vampire slaying brothers who're friends with a werewolf... it's crazy."

"Hmmhm. Oh, I had to call you to let you know a few people from work aren't in today." she said.

"Wait, you're at work on a Sunday?" he asked.

"I'm a reporter, Megamind. The news doesn't stop for the weekend." she smirked. "I can give you their names if you want, and their addresses?"

"Okay sure, fire away." Megamind nodded.

"Do you have a pen?" she asked.

"Don't need it. Photographic memory." he said smugly, brushing his nails on his chest before examining them.

"You're a show off." Roxanne said and he could practically see her smirk and that pretty little beauty spot on her chin.

"Hah! Please. Anyway, the names?" Megamind asked, and soon had details on the people missing from work who were scheduled to be in. Luckily one was already eliminated as a possible vampire victim since he had called in hung over, but the others still needed to be checked on. "Thanks Roxanne."

"No problems-I just have to ask one more thing." she said, "One tiny thing."

"Sigh." he said aloud. "What?"

"Megamind. That's a strange name, I can see why you have it, but... is that the name your father gave you?" she asked.

He went quiet, and glanced down at the book that had fallen to the floor. Reaching down he hefted the heavy book back onto the sofa, and strummed his fingers against the cover. "Well... no. It isn't." he said. "Megamind just sounds more... I don't know. Intimidating."

"What's your real name, then?" Roxanne asked.

"Not telling." Megamind grinned.

"Aw, what? Why not?" she pouted.

"Because it's a secret and don't go asking Wayne what it is because I've sworn him to secrecy. Minion too." Megamind said triumphantly.

"How about Bernard?" she grinned, hoping to have found a loop hole.

"He doesn't know it either." Megamind smugly said. "Sorry Roxanne. When the day comes you'll learn my name."

"You're all about theatrics, aren't you?" Roxanne sighed.

"Of course." he replied with a smile. "Thanks Roxanne, for doing this. I'll check out their places, see if they're there or not."

"Oh no problem. Take care?" she asked.

"Hey it's me." he said. "I'm always taking care."

"Sure. Bye, Megamind."

"Bye Roxanne."

She hung up first, and he stared at the phone for a moment after she had hung up. Wrapping his hand around the phone he re-pocketed it, and sighed heavily. "Oh boy." he sighed.

"What is it, Sir?" Minion, who had just been passing by with the laundry, asked.

"We have a few houses to check out, since a few people from Rosanne's work place didn't show up." Megamind lifted the book and placed it on the antique coffee table before heading off to put some shoes on while Minion sought out the car keys from the hook they hung on in the kitchen.

It wasn't long until they were driving through Metro City on the highway, driving in-between four wheel drives, convertibles, lemons, and fancy expensive cars. Minion expertly avoided all of them and even snuck through some red lights, avoiding collisions like a professional. Megamind watched the world go by, content to just listen to the radio.

"Well you've certainly cheered up some these past few days, Sir." Minion commented with a small smile.

"Huh?" Megamind asked.

"Miss. Ritchi's certainly woven a spell around you, that's for certain." the fish smiled. "You're as taken with her as Wayne is with Mr. Dunning!"

"Oh shut up." muttered Megamind, flushing light violet. "I'm not at all like Wayne."

"You two are more alike than you think." Minion said. "If only the two of you had the confidence to tell those you care about how you really feel, things would be so much better."

"I said shut up." grumbled Megamind, glaring out at the world now.

"I refuse!" Minion said proudly as he parked down a side street, and activated another fancy thing about the car, its camouflage. Its paint job changed, and it turned into a police car. This way nobody would bother them. "She seems quite taken with you, too, if I can read between lines as good as I say I can."

"Minion, _please._" Megamind fussed with his watch and soon the bald headed man was sitting there once more, only now wearing a police man's uniform. "You're being ridiculous." he tugged a hat out of the back seat and tugged it on before pausing, and eyed the fish. "...aren't you?"

Minion grinned before making a shoo motion with both of his hands. "Go on then, Sir. Investigate."

Megamind grumbled at his friend before turning his back on him, and dead off to do just that. He entered properties, knocked on doors, and when no answers came he would sneak around to peer into windows. Out of the names Roxanne had given him, only one of them wasn't home pulling a sick day without calling in first to alert their employers. His apartment was empty, and cramp, and smelt of neglect but judging by how there was underwear hanging in the small shower he wondered just how much of it had been tended to before hand.

He was just turning to leave when he saw a poster of Roxanne Ritchi plastered to th wall with a piece of note paper stuck on top of it. 'Good night, Hal' it said, accompanied with a pink drawn heart. Megamind pulled a face at the note and wanted to tug it off but knew better than to do that. He left no clues, no foot prints, nothing to show he had been there. Leaving the apartment he made his way down the stairs, and returned to the police car parked outside and climbed in.

"No sign of anyone in there." he said to Minion, "And from looks of things he hasn't been there for a few days."

"What do you think, simply drunk somewhere or possible victim?" Minion asked.

"Roxanne told me Hal is known to drink a bit but never to excess. He drives the news van, you see... which, I note, isn't anywhere in sight." Megamind commented as he glanced around. "That's an idea. I need to get Roxanne on the phone and ask her if the news vans are fitted with tracking devices!" he pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed Roxanne's number.

Minion frowned, and began driving. When they were in a secluded area he turned the car back invisible, and was heading into the city.

"Damn, got her answering machine." Megamind muttered before sitting back in his seat, and smiled softly as he spoke despite the news and seriousness of it all. "Roxanne, it's me, Megamind. I've looked into all the people out sick, all but one are home with massive hangovers. Hal Stewart, though, isn't home and hasn't been home all day. He drives the news van you said; does it have a tracking device? If so, activate it, find out where it is and get back to me as soon as you can. See you later." he hung up and stared at the phone for a moment. "...you really think telling her I think she's beautiful will make things better?"

Minion had to chuckle. "You think she's beautiful?" he asked.

"Well yes!" Megamind answered. "Have you _seen_ her face? It's perfection! The way her hair frames her face like that, the beautiful sky blue eyes that shimmer like jewels in the right light, how her freckles brighten just a little bit when she's had some sun on her face and that tiny beauty spot right there..." he tapped his own chin where the spot would be, if he was Roxanne. He sighed heavily, before shaking his head. "No, no. She's probably had hundreds of men telling her these things, and you should have seen this guy's place. He had her poster up with a note, a stupid little note saying 'Goodnight Hal' with a yucky heart. Blargh. I don't want to come off as a guy like that. I barely know her."

"But now you've got time, and opportunity to get to know her. Find out what she likes, spend more time with her! Who knows, maybe she'll get to like you too." Minion said as he turned off of the high way, heading back home. "I mean, more than she already does. And she _does_, Sir."

Megamind stared out the window, watching as the buildings and shops continued to pass by him, before they became houses, spotted with trees. They were in the suburbs now, and nearly home to the forest. "I'm not as bad as Wayne, though." he said, with a frown.

"Of course not Sir, but you got to admit he's pretty taken with Mr. Dunning." Minion replied.

"Even if he is a werewolf." Megamind frowned.

"Now, now Sir. Don't be like that. Mr. Dunning has been a great associate to us over the years, werewolf or not." Minion said with a slight frown. "Wayne has accepted him, why do you still treat him so indifferently?"

"Because he's a _jerk_." replied Megamind simply. "He's a jerk to everyone. Why Roxanne is friends with him, much less how, is a mystery to me."

Minion sighed. "Maybe she just sees the good in him, Sir. There is good, buried deep below his snarky exterior and werewolf mannerisms. Just like there's good in everyone! Well. Except Nazi's. And Vampires. Or Nazi Vampires! Oh God I _hate_ those guys! …you know what I mean."

Megamind had to laugh, and sighed. "Yes, I know what you mean."

"Fact of the matter is if you don't say anything, nothing will get done, or happen." Minion added. "Involve her in this investigation, get her feed back and input, and show you care about what she has to say."

"But I already _do_ care about what she has to say." Megamind said, reaching forward for a bottle of water. It had been a long day, and once again the day had passed and he hadn't gotten any sleep. His sleep patterns had been confused for the past few days since normally he would sleep most hours of the day to allow him to fight and hunt down vampires at night. Roxanne ending up in his house, though, had thrown all that on its head. The sun was already almost ready to begin to set, and he didn't know if he could last a night of hunting.

"Then that's good, Sir!" the fish grinned. "Why don't we then just ask her-"

Megamind's phone suddenly buzzed. Quickly, and excitedly, he pulled it out to see if it was Roxanne. Unfortunately the name 'Bernard :|' showed up on the screen. He groaned, and answered. "Mr. Wolf." he greeted dryly.

"Oh stop it, you're hilarious." Bernard replied even dryer over the phone. "Just thought I'd let you know, I had to go drive the stupid library van today to the outer suburbs and I caught whiff of your usual prey."

"Great. What and where?" Megamind asked.

"Smelt like a Voyeur type, located in Ashfield. I think he's hiding out in the school there since it's the weekend." Bernard explained.

_Voyeur type._ Megamind thought. By their name alone told you they were the type of vampire to watch people for a long, long time, silently hunting them down. Unlike their distant relatives, the types that would entrap people with spells and hypnosis in order to play with their food, Voyeurs didn't want affection. They just wanted food. They wanted food that badly that, if they could manage it, they would snare away somebody in the light of day as long as they had enough cover to drag their victim under.

Otherwise, during the days the vampire would become a swarm of bats, hiding away in darkened corners for cover from the harsh sun light. When in a human form they were what you could call diplomatic, they hated hunters like Megamind but understood the importance of a proper duel. And seeing how they could become a swarm of bats at any second, a stake through the heart wouldn't do it for this vampire at all.

He would need his sword.

And seeing how its present location was a school, and surrounded by houses that had children in practically each one, put this Voyeur type on high alert. Megamind hadn't lost a child to a vampire in all his years as a hunter and he wasn't about to loose one now.

"Thanks Mr. Wolf." Megamind said.

"Good luck blueberry head." Bernard replied before hanging up.

"Trouble, Sir?" Minion asked when he saw the grim expression on his friends face.

"We've got a Voyeur in the Ashfield Grade School. Get me there." Megamind replied.

Minion's whole demeanor seemed to change. This was a mission, a job to do. A school? It was Sunday, so children would be in the school tomorrow, and if given the opportunity who knows how many might be taken by the monster and eaten. He gripped the wheel tightly and did a violent U-turn before speeding off back down the road towards Ashfield.

As he drove, Megamind slid into the backseat of the car and pressed a button on one of the doors. One half of the back seat suddenly flattened out, revealing a sword. Megamind reached out for it and pulled it into his hands, and slowly slid it out of its sheath slightly to examine the blade. It was kept in the most pristine of conditions, it was so sharp it could cut a hair lengthwise, and had been his sword for many, many years.

It had writing upon the blade, small, and in Latin. Basically it translated to, 'I came not to send peace, but a sword'.

While he had practiced long and hard with other swords, it was this one he had been wielding the day that his Father had been taken from him. Father's own sword had been something to behold. Handed down through generations, while the blade had been changed every now and then the handle of it remained the same it had been for over five hundred years. It was black as night with gold woven into the design, with a solid gold cross blessed by the Pope hanging from its hilt. Megamind had marveled at it when he was younger.

"It will be yours, one day." his Father had said as they stood before the weapon as it stood proudly on display amongst its brethren. "On the day you defeat me in a sword fight, it will be yours."

That had been encouragement enough. Megamind had practiced for hours a day with his sword, and against his Father, but never had he won. How could he? Father had years of experience, while he did not. Yet still, the promise that the sword of his Father would be his own one day had driven the blue skinned child.

Now he would never have it, because it had been taken just as his Father had done.

"We're there, Sir." Minion's voice pulled Megamind from his memories, and the alien turned in his seat to stare out at the school that stood before them. It was a grade school so it wasn't all that big, but it had a play ground outside. A steady breeze made the swings gently sway, their chains clinking in the fading sunlight. The green grass looked picturesque, making the fact that such a deadly foe lay hidden within all the more disgusting.

"If I'm not out in fifteen minutes come in after me." Megamind said as he climbed out of the car, carrying his sword and jacket with him. He paused in order to pull his leather jacket on and quickly checked the pockets, before tilting his hat forward on his head. "All right." he breathed before positioning his sword at his side where it belonged, and walked around the playground.

Minion watched his friend vanish behind the buildings before setting a timer on his suit. Fifteen minutes.

Gaining access to the school was easy. Megamind knew most schools were fitted with security devices, and he had come prepared. Dipping a hand into his jacket's inner pocket he pulled out a small machine that was no bigger than a tic-tac box. Pressing a button on it, he set it down on the floor and continued walking. The small device sent out a powerful wave of electricity that over powered the security cameras, and all imagery became blurry, snow-like, and impossible to view.

Using his tools he picked the lock to the gymnasium and pushed open the door before shutting it behind him. The last trails of sunlight poured in through the windows, but judging by how long the shadows were that they cast the sun was almost gone. Megamind didn't have to look to see where the vampire was, he could sense him all around.

"I hope you didn't think I'd let you just stay here." Megamind said to the darkness. "This isn't where you belong."

Above him, only squeaks answered at first. He lifted his gaze and stared at the ceiling that was a mass of black bats. They climbed over each other in a swarming mass of black fur, claws, gnashing teeth and glowing red eyes. The animals squeaked louder before they began to move towards the stage of the gymnasium where if this were a regular school day and there was an assembly being held people would be standing on. They poured like water from a tap down onto the stage but instead of remaining a heap of bats they began to form and mold together, slowly taking shape, until a man stood there in their place.

He was of an average size, with black hair slicked back beneath a hat. His clothing looked like something out of swinging forties, the suit, the tie, and polished shoes. Once upon a time he would have looked better suited holding a Tommy gun in his hand but tonight, a sword was held in his hand.

"Can't blame a guy fer tryin'." he shrugged, before giving Megamind a look. "Huh."

"Huh?" Megamind asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I figure I know you." the Voyeur said as he stepped closer, and off of the stage entirely. "I recognize that face anywhere."

"Well naturally. Who else has blue skin around here?" Megamind frowned, taking a step back, but not reaching for his weapon yet since the vampire hadn't done it yet either.

The man frowned, scrutinizing Megamind's face. Then, a dawning look of realization spread on his face. "Hey I do know you! You was that little brat in the woods, weren't you?" he asked.

Ice stabbed through Megamind's heart.

"Yeah, yeah. With the old man! He stabbed ya right in the shoulder so ya had no choice but ta run off like a little girl! I was gonna come after ya, but that stupid old man almost lopped off my head!" grinned the vampire toothily, his sharp, pointy teeth glistening as light continue to rapidly leave the room.

"What did you do to him?" Megamind demanded.

"Hrm. Tell yas what. You beat me, I'll tell you. I beat you, I get to feast on your blood. Fair deal?" he asked as he slowly drew his sword out.

"Deal."

The vampire didn't even have time to blink before Megamind was upon him, sword swinging down on him. He quickly blocked it with his own and the two pushed against each others blade before pushing each other away. Laughing, the vampire moved around him as Megamind moved with him, amused by how it was almost like a dance. He thrust forward once, twice, but Megamind backed away with each step, blocking the blows of the sword with his own. It was strange, despite the anger on Megamind's face and the hatred flashing in his eyes, his moves were articulate and without any wasted movement. He knew what he was doing, that much was obvious.

"You're very good." the vampire complimented, since it was the truth.

"Thank you." Megamind said testily.

He suddenly lunged forward and his blade got past the vampires defenses and stabbed him through the arm. The vampire screeched loudly in pain before leaping back, blood already pooling against his fabric.

"This suit's vintage!" he screamed, "You'll pay for that!"

"What, your laundry bill?" Megamind asked sarcastically before the vampire was upon him again. The force was expected but he still fell backwards. He rolled, brought his feet up and kicked the vampire over him much how he had done that vampire in the Botanical Gardens. The blade of the vampire just missed slicing his face open and he rolled away to stand up, and was upon the vampire the second he was to his feet again.

Their swords continued to clash, and Megamind knew his time was limited. Soon the sun would be gone, and what little light he had would be gone. The vampire had the upper hand then, being able to see in the darkness while Megamind just had regular eyes like anyone else. He had to finish this now.

Megamind swung forward and the vampire retaliated and their swords locked. He forced forward, and suddenly rotated his sword. It swung around, and around, before sending the vampire's sword flying out of his hands and upwards. That was the moment Megamind needed. He plunged his sword forward, right through the chest of the vampire and into the wooden floor behind him, pinning him to the floor. The others sword fell back to earth and Megamind grabbed it before swinging it at the defeated demon's throat but stopped, seconds before the blade came in contact.

"Tell me." he said. "Tell me _now._"

Heaving from the pain in his lung and body, the vampire withered. He growled and spat for a while before he felt the blade at his throat, closer than before. Breathing with difficulty, he swallowed down some of his own blood that was beginning to pool out of his mouth. "We... we over powered him... you saw how many there was..." he stammered.

"And?" Megamind asked.

"The... the boss, the master... had us... knock him out. His children took him. I don't know where." the vampire continued.

"You don't know where? Was he dead? Was he alive?" Megamind demanded, voice raising in the darkness.

"H-he was alive, last... last I saw him..."

Megamind felt suddenly gutted. They hadn't killed Father after all. If they hadn't killed him, then what? Where had they taken him? Would they have tortured him for days on end before killing him? What if they had turned him into one of them, a demon of the night? The very idea made him want to throw up, but he saved face, and didn't. What if he was still alive, now, weak and defenseless and at the mercy of these monsters for their own amusement?

"Names." Megamind whispered. "Give me names. I need to know who took my Father. Tell me _now._"

"No." the vampire replied, smiling despite the pain washing through his body. "Y-you'll... you'll see them... they're coming back f... for you... you and your friends... the Family will _fall._"

"We have never fallen." Megamind said quietly, which was more terrifying than screaming. "We have prevailed since the birth of your race and we will continue fighting until the last one of you is sent screaming back to Hell. You might have thought you've won years past but we always came back, didn't we? It will always be like that. We will never die... unlike you."

"Just do it, then." spat the vampire. "A deal's a deal."

"Deal."

By the time Minion arrived to check on the gymnasium he found Megamind collecting quarters of the deceased vampire. The blue alien was just lifting up the decapitated head when the fish came in, and looked up at him.

"Father was alive." he said quietly. "He might _still_ be alive."

Minion didn't understand, but obediently tugged a bag free of a compartment on his body to collect the evidence of the body, and then get to cleaning up the blood on the floor. He would ask for more information when Megamind didn't look as shaken as he did now. Obviously having had a messed up sleep schedule hadn't helped him tonight, since he had taken longer to deal with the vampire than usual.

All Minion knew that as soon as they were done with this, he would take Megamind home and put him into bed.

_To be continued_


	10. Puppy Love

Megamind and Minion stood in front of the furnace built at the back of their property, watching as the thick smoke slowly climbed up into the night sky. The stench was horrible, that of rotted, diseased death that could choke a person if you took in too deep a breath. This was why burning a vampires remains in the city was never a good idea, it would alert far too many people to the burning and the last thing they wanted was to have the body discovered.

Even if a vampire was ripped apart and left for dead, it could put itself back together and heal over time. Burning the remains properly, in a blessed furnace is what really destroyed them. One myth that ran through the family was that a vampires body was burned, but its head had been left and would shout insults at anyone who got too close. Of course, that was just a silly story to scare little boys before bedtime.

Didn't stop Megamind from sleeping with the light on in fears of the vampire head rolling out from under his bed or out of his closet, though.

"So what do we do, Sir?" Minion asked.

Megamind, at first, said nothing. He watched as the smoke continues to curl upwards towards the stars, and he remembered what the vampire had said. _The children took him._ The children? The children of who? Surely not... And that there would be more coming, that they were coming for him and the Family. Was he truly going to live through an uprising, like so many had come before? He hadn't gotten any notices of such activity from other Family members across the globe, and why attack the American settlements first? To take out the 'big guns' before moving onto Europe, Australasia and the other continents?

"Sir?" Minion asked again, reaching out to touch Megamind's shoulder.

"We need to contact everyone in the city." Megamind said gravely.

"Everyone?" Minion blinked, eyes widening. "But that's at least one hundred people, easy!" he gaped.

"Yes. We need to relay this information onto all of them, that Father might be alive, that more vampires are moving in, and they're hunting us down. Send word to the Family. This just got serious."

"Vampire hunting is already a pretty serious business..." Minion mumbled as he walked away, back towards the house.

"Serious business." Megamind muttered to himself before finally turning, and followed Minion in towards the house. He pulled out his phone and pressed a button or two before putting his phone to the ear. Another answering machine. "Roxanne, Megamind again. Listen to me, do _not_ answer the door to anyone. Do not invite anyone in. One of them can't come into your house unless you invite them, or allow them. Call me, please." he said, before hanging up and walked through into the house.

He dialed another number. "Wayne?"

"Megamind, hey! How you going?" Wayne asked. In the background, Megamind could hear music blaring. Was he at a club?

"Great. Look, get home as fast as you can." Megamind said as he shut the door behind him.

"What, what happened?" the older of the two obviously sounded worried. Megamind rarely told him to come right home unless something _bad_ had happened.

"I got some information I rather tell you in person. See you soon?" he asked.

"Yeah sure I'll... I'll be there soon." and as soon as Megamind had hung up the phone, Wayne was in front of him. "What happened?" he asked.

Once upon a time Wayne's super speed would have freaked Megamind out, causing him to yell and scream like a little girl. Those days were long since gone, so when Megamind turned to see his brother standing there it wasn't a shock. "Father was alive when they took him." he said grimly.

"What?" Wayne demanded, eyes narrowing.

"I fought a voyeur tonight, and he was there in the forest when they jumped Father and me." Megamind said, "Said he knew Father hurt me to make me run, and that... that the children had taken Father."

Wayne stood there in his outfit in shock. "The children." he mumbled. "No... no, no..."

"It's what he said." Megamind said quietly.

"But there's not meant to be anymore. They were all killed in 1849! We have the documents, the _remains!_" Wayne was obviously in distress, the way his voice shook like that, since it never did so unless he was truly worried or scared.

"They must have made MORE." Megamind countered.

"But for that to happen-" Wayne started.

"They're back. That's why there's been an influx of vampires in town. They've made more children and they're coming, he told me the Family will fall." Megamind explained.

"They say that every time they try to overthrow the Family." Wayne frowned.

"I know but a war is coming. A _war_, Wayne."

Wayne turned away and gripped at his head with one of his hands. This was heavy news to take in. This would mean many, many meetings with the Family members and their connections. They might even have to gather the whole Family together again, to relay information and prepare for a battle he had hoped he would never, ever see. Even if his brother was very, very good at what he did every time Megamind came home with a dislocated arm, fractured ribs, and bruises to his body was an agony for Wayne. Why had he been the one to be gifted with such strength and invulnerability? Why not his brother, who goes out all nights to do this stupid task given to them?

He didn't like his train of thought so he got off at the closest station and turned to look at his brother. "Is Minion sending word?"

"As we speak. I've called Roxanne to tell her not to answer the door to anyone, and Bernard already knows the basics."

"Bernard. Yes." Wayne mumbled as he looked away.

Megamind watched his brother for a moment, before frowning. "What is it?" he asked.

"Uh? Nothing." replied Wayne quickly.

"Don't give me that. I know that look. You're worried. I know you are, I mean. War is Hell. And it looks like they're going to be choosing Metro City to be the war ground." Megamind said.

"Funny thing is, I'm... not worried over that. Not as much as I thought I would be." he admitted.

"So what are you worrying about?" Megamind asked. "If not the lives of countless innocents who could die because of this stupid war?"

Wayne sighed, and gave his brother a look that would to some, be completely lost. Megamind however, understood. He stared back at his brother, before sighing and sagged forward. Minion had been right, they _were_ so much alike in some aspects. Damn his fish for being so perceptive of people and their habits!

"...I'm scared for her, too." he mumbled quietly.

"And I'm scared for him." Wayne said.

"And I'm scared for BOTH of you!" Minion suddenly hurried in on the two and threw his gorilla arms around the two, pulling them into a sudden embrace. "A war, really? Is that what this is escalating to?"

"Minion it's already _been_ an ongoing war for thousands of years." Megamind said, trying to catch his breath back since Minion's hugs were known to be back breaking for him.

"Come on Minion, let the boy breath." Wayne said, easing the arm looser on the blue man. "There."

"So what are we doing, what are we going to do?" Minion asked.

"We've done what's right so far. We've alerted the Family, and our contacts. Now we wait for information to relay back from the Family and hope for the best." Megamind said.

Wayne nodded, before looking at his watch. "I better get back before the guys begin to wonder why I'm in the bathroom for so long."

"Where were you anyway?" Megamind asked.

"Celebratory club visit for being hired as a fireman. Job starts tomorrow." Wayne shrugged. "But you call me if anything major happens. Right?" he said, pointing at Megamind.

"Right." Megamind replied.

And with that he was gone.

"He's getting quicker every year." Minion commented.

"I know." frowned Megamind.

~*~

"Honey, I'm home." Bernard pushed the door open to his apartment and walked through, before dropping his shoulder bag onto the floor. He stood there momentarily, before sighing. "Oh that's right. I'm not married." he said before turning the lights on, and made his way down the hallway into the entertainment area of his apartment.

It was small, but to his liking. The kitchen, dining, and entertainment room was pretty much just one whole room. Through one door way it lead to his bedroom where a Queen sized bed waited eagerly for him to climb into. Another door went into the bathroom where his washing machine and washing line hung.

Bernard made his way into his bedroom, shedding his blazer and pulled his turtle neck off to pull on a simple t-shirt after a long day's work. He was just pulling his pants off when he heard a knock at the door. Quickly he pulled on some loose baggy pants before making his way into the dining room. He sniffed at the air, and knew who it was right away without needing to ask.

He pulled the door open and was surprised to see Wayne was wearing half a fire fighter's outfit. And standing at his door. Even if he knew it was him since he knew his smell so well and it wasn't being over powered by any library smell unlike earlier that day. "Wayne." he said slowly, eyeing the clothing he wore since it was especially tight looking in some areas that Megamind, naturally, hadn't paid any attention to. "Have you become a strip-o-gram?" he asked. Hopefully. But a quiet kind of hopefully.

"Hah, no. No. Sorry." he shrugged before Bernard let him through into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company twice in one day?" Bernard asked as he followed the Greek God bodied man. "Do you want a drink? Sandwich?" _To lick cream off of my body?_

Wayne shook his head before he turned to look at the shorter man with a look of worry on his face. "No, thank you though. I just thought it better to... to just talk to you for a while."

"Uh okay?" Bernard asked, unsure of how to feel about this. He'd never had Wayne in his apartment before; how had he found it? Oh, duh. No doubt he has all his contact details within easy access.

"Can we sit?" Wayne asked, pointing to the couch.

After confirmation both men moved to the couch and sat. "You just caught me changing." Bernard admitted. "Just got in."

"Sorry." Wayne apologized.

"No it's fine. So what is it?" he asked. "What's wrong, and who do I have to bite to fix it? Granted, you'll have to wait until the next full Moon for me to do some real damage but I'd still bite a guy. Or girl. I'm fine with biting girls."

Wayne gave a weak laugh, and shook his head. "No, no. Thanks though, that's really... sweet?"

"I try." Bernard shrugged.

"Look. You've been a great help, and friend, a really good one of them, for a while now. You know I really appreciate that, right?" Wayne asked.

Bernard wasn't sure where this was leading, and the way Wayne's heart was beating faster or the slight dose of sweat on his forehead was matters for concern. But he was a genius when it came to masking his emotions, so he just sat there, waiting. "Yes. I do." he confirmed since, in a way, he knew. Even if Megamind and he rarely saw eye to eye on matters, he knew the vigilante respected him to some regard.

"Things might be getting more dangerous." admitted Wayne. "Megamind, tonight, was told our... our Father was alive when he was attacked. And not only that but they'll becoming for us, the Family and... our friends." he said, looking at Wayne now. "You might be in danger."

"I'm not weak." Bernard said flatly. "Megamind taught me how to handle a stake, and I'm not exactly frail. Even if that bastard who gave that blood did screw my life over he also gave me a lot of strength. You know that."

"I know that, I know. But you're not like me. You _can_ get hurt." Wayne said. "And I don't want you to get hurt in a war that was never yours to begin with. I couldn't..." he hesitated, before looking at his hands. "I couldn't really stand to see you get hurt. You or, or anyone." he added.

Bernard blinked in surprise, before enjoying a small, private smile to himself. This was actually quite touching, if misplaced.

"I appreciate that." he said before daring himself to reach over, to touch the man's large hand. He wanted to, he had wanted to do something like this for so long but never knew how the other would react to something like that. This was an important part of their life, a point in their knowing each other, and he wasn't going to allow it to rush past him. So he did it. He reached over, and placed his hand on Wayne's. "I do. But what is it that you're really saying?" he asked, tilting his head forward to peer up at Wayne's face who was angled away from him. "Do you want me to stop helping you?"

"I don't... No. I don't know..." Wayne said, eyes on the hand suddenly on his own. It brought both calm, and panic. Bernard had never been the touchy feely type, so this was a surprise.

"Because it sounds to me like you want me to stop helping you so I'd be safe." Bernard pointed out, now rubbing Wayne's hand before trailing his hand up the man's wrist and forearm as he slowly shifted himself closer to him on the couch. "And I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not?" asked Wayne, turning his head to look at Bernard now.

"Because if I do, I run the risk of you or your brother coming to me and erasing my memory." Bernard said flatly.

"What, no! I wouldn't- Megamind wouldn't-"

"He would. I know _he_ would. You know he's never been fond of me because of all I am." Bernard explained. "And it's because that's the law. Any ally who has run out their usefulness has their memory wiped, and altered, so they don't remember."

Wayne sighed. However much he hated it, Bernard had a point. "I know. I know, you're right. You're always right when it comes down to fine details."

"I'm a librarian. It's kind of my job." Bernard smiled slightly before sighing. "So. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to turn down your offer to stop helping you because it would mean forgetting you. Plus, I'd have to find a whole new safe room to suit up and do you know how expensive metal bars, leather, and chains are?" he asked.

This got a grand laugh out of Wayne, and it was one of those highly contagious ones. It was one of the many, many things Bernard found enchanting around the massive man with a huge heart, and super strength. No matter how hard he tried _not_ to laugh whenever Wayne did, he always lost in the end. It happened again here, since he was soon chuckling, and then laughing along with Wayne. Their laughter had to end eventually, and they soon petered into a silence that was actually quite pleasant, and not at all awkward.

"I really did mean it." Wayne said, afterwards.

"Mean what?" Bernard asked.

"That I appreciate you." Wayne clarified as he turned in his seat so he was now facing Bernard properly on the couch. "I wasn't joking when I said that."

"I... no?" Bernard was suddenly painfully aware how close they were now sitting on the couch.

"No. I wasn't. When I first saw you I didn't see a monster, like you think of yourself. Don't try to interrupt; I know you still think that way. Like I said, I didn't see that. I saw somebody who needed my help. Somebody who was lost, and when you came to, naked and half blind without your glasses the next morning, it only cemented more to me how much help you needed. Turns out though, that... I think I needed you more than you needed me." Wayne explained as he found his hand covering Bernard's this time, and he was incapable of breaking eye contact with the other man.

"You've been a great help to our cause, yes. Your nose is brilliant, and you _are_ strong but you're worth more then that to me. You make things seem so more... interesting? Calming? You do everything for me by doing so little and that really means the world to me." Wayne paused, before frowning slightly. "Wait. Let me rephrase that." he tried again. "_You_ mean the world to me. Without you, I don't know what I'd be like. And I've wanted to say this to you for ages but I've never found the right time or place to do it, so I guess in a way you should be thankful a war's coming or else I probably would never have spilled the beans like this. So..." he trailed off into silence momentarily as he read Bernard's blank expression as best as he could.

"...What do you think, about that?" he asked.

"Are you telling me that you like me? A lot?" Bernard asked.

"Yes. That's what I'm saying." Wayne nodded.

"That you've wanted to say this for a while, and only just how grew the galls to tell me?" pressed Bernard.

Wayne flushed, and nodded. "Yes, that's... that's it."

"And now you're asking me, now, what I think about the whole thing or just how you feel about me?" asked Bernard.

"Just... how I feel about you. I can understand if you don't feel anything back I mean, I'm not sure I'm not exactly what-"

His rambling, since that's what it clearly was, found itself interrupted when Bernard all but threw himself onto him. While it was common knowledge to those who really knew Wayne that he was incredibly strong and the type of man who could topple a building if he so wanted to, he found himself falling backwards against the couch by Bernard's weight, and strength, pushing down against him. It was this alone that startled him at first, but when Bernard's mouth covered his own in a heated, unexpected kiss, all but blew his mind away.

And then it was over before he had a chance to even participate properly. But he probably needed the opportunity to breath, and stare at Bernard in silent shock.

"You talk too much." Bernard said as he trailed one hand down Wayne's chest, smiling faintly. "As you no doubt have become painfully aware of... I feel the same way about you too. So how do you want to do this, do you want to date me or just sleep with me?"

"What?" Wayne asked, shocked.

"Do you want to do the dating scene, or just get physical with me? I just want to know." he sat up slowly, adjusting his glasses since they had become skewed during the kiss.

"I... I'd like to date you?" Wayne asked, unsure if that was the answer Bernard was after.

Bernard observed him for a moment before he smiled at him softly, and sighed heavily. "You know. I never thought I'd have a chance to do either of those things. Despite my incredibly confident ways, I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to this sort of thing. After becoming what I do, I thought nobody would ever see me past the monster I am. Don't tell me I'm not a monster, because I am. Every month for a night I become a monster, and for a while that was all I thought I was but you..." he prodded Wayne's chest with his finger. "...You saw past that and saw me as a person. You were the first person to do that, and that pretty much cemented my feelings for you. So. Yeah. I've liked you for a long time but thought you'd never be interested seeing what I am."

"That doesn't matter to me." Wayne said as he reached up and adjusted Bernard's shirt collar since it had become a little displaced. "You know that by now, right?"

"I know that now. But I always thought..." he trailed off and scoffed before waving a hand in front of his face, as if clearing the air of a bad smell. "You know what, forget the past. It's past. What's happening now is far more interesting."

"I agree." Wayne smiled up at him before glancing at the man, his... what. Boyfriend? Lover? It was all suddenly so exciting, he was glad he had ditched the party and came around here to speak to Bernard instead of heading back there.

Probably the best decision he had ever made in his life, and that was confirmed all the more when he gently tugged Bernard back down on top of him, and kissed him this time, just to even the odds.

_to be continued_


	11. Late Night Visits

"Sir you really should go to bed you're running on fumes tonight... then you can sleep in till noon, and when we go out tomorrow night you'll be back to your normal, chipper self." Minion said as he brought Megamind a glass of juice from the kitchen.

Megamind didn't accept it, instead he continued to stare at Fathers portrait.

"Please, Sir. You're not a machine, you need to rest." Minion urged.

The alien lowered his gaze slightly, before reaching into his pocket and felt the cool metal of his mobile phone still snugly sitting against his tissues. She hadn't called him back. Why hadn't she called him back? Didn't she realize the gravitation of the whole situation they were in? What if something had happened? What if she was in danger, right now, and he didn't know? Heart racing within his chest he turned away from Minion entirely and headed to the kitchen.

"Sir? Sir, what are - Sir!" Minion placed the drink on a shelf (with a coaster) before following Megamind. "Where are you going? You can't drive!" pointed out the fish as he saw Megamind grab the keys.

"First time for everything." Megamind mumbled as he left via the back door.

"Sir! This is serious, you can't drive at all!" Minion hurried after his friend who approached the invisible car, but not before almost bumping into it first.

"Minion! She isn't answering the phone! I need you here in case anybody from the Family contact us and Wayne is who knows where-a party, a _party_ at a time like this! I need to see that she's all right for myself, Minion. I've seen you and Wayne drive enough times to know how it works, I'm a genius, remember?" Megamind asked, slapping a hand against the side of his bulbous head.

Minion flinched. "Oh... yes... yes, of course Sir. I'll call you, when I get word?" asked the fish.

"Yes. You will." Megamind climbed into the passenger seat and fumbled with the chair lever, to bring the backed out chair closer to the wheel since he was such a skinny little guy.

The car started before being driven off into the distance, through the gate, and was soon out of sight. Minion waited to hear the trees crunching under the weight of the car but he didn't. He knew his friend knew the way through the trees, and of course after years of watching others drive he'd have a firm idea on how to do it but he couldn't help but worry.

_Here is your Minion. He will take care of you._

Those were words he had to live up to, and if anything happened to Megamind he would feel as if he had failed the good Lady's final words to her son. Sighing, he turned and headed back into the manor hoping he'd get word soon from the Family.

~*~

He parked half on the curb and half off, but when your car was invisible it didn't really matter all that much to anyone. Megamind leapt out of the car with a disguise in place and slammed the door behind him. He then yelped and fell backwards, since the coat tail of his jacket had gotten snagged in the door.

"Oh for cryin..." he tugged at it, before opening the door again, tugged his jacket free, and shut the door again. "Bad car." Megamind then turned and hurried into the building where Roxanne lived. As he walked he grabbed the same small device he had used in the school, and dropped it on the floor since he knew there were security cameras and he was sure seeing an armed man in leather on a security camera would draw attention to him. All cameras started acting up at once.

"Hey who're you?" Carlos, the door man, demanded when this strange bald man wearing leather walked in off the street. He looked like trouble, especially with that spiked dog collar around his neck.

"No time for this." Megamind pulled out a can of spray and it went off in Carlos' face. "You didn't see me." he told the man as he slowly breathed in the fumes.

"Didn't see... you..." mumbled Carlos before sitting back down in his seat.

Megamind rushed to the mail boxes near the elevator and checked for Roxanne's name. He found it. She was on the 15th floor, number 19. The elevator opened and he hurried in, pressing the number fifteen and waited as the elevator began its surprisingly quick climb to the floor. Inside the elevator music softly played, and he twitched as he waited.

"Remember," Father's voice suddenly sprang up from the back of his mind, "if the day comes and you find a woman you truly respect and care for, be sure she understand who you are and what you do. She needs to be strong."

"Not like Mother." Megamind had said at the time, back when he was nine.

"Your Mother was a fine woman and do not insult her." his Father's tone turned stern. "She left for her reasons. She loved you." the tone eased, and he could all but feel the man's weary hand placing itself atop his head like he had done so many times. "Do you know how I told your Mother that I loved her, without using that word?" he asked.

"No?" asked Megamind, curious.

"Whenever she asked something of me, to do any little thing for her, I simply said as you wish. It took her a while to realize what I truly meant. If you can, one day, try to emulate your old man."

"I'll try, Father."

The elevator's ding as it arrived on the correct floor pulled him out of the past and he hurried down the hallway. He had his sword strapped to his back, and a stake and hammer hidden on his person. Finding her door Megamind knocked on it loudly.

"Roxanne?" he called, and waited a few seconds before banging on the door again. "Roxanne, are you in?" Megamind called through the door. He checked his watch. It was only nine thirty. Plucking his phone out of his pocket he dialed her number again. Inside her apartment he heard the jingle of the phone. "Roxanne?"

That did it. He pulled his pick lock tools from another pocket and jimmied open her door. Shoving the door open he hurried into her apartment where the lights were all off. This didn't feel good. What if she was being dragged out by a vampire right now, into the night? What if she had been eaten already? His heart suddenly burned and his stomach turned to lead at the idea of a vampire tearing into her.

He rounded a corner, and leapt back and screamed as he did.

Roxanne did the same thing.

"Megamind?" she asked, eyes wide.

"ROXANNE!" he all but cried before rushing forwards and threw his arms around her, pulling the woman in close. "Oh thank God why didn't you answer any of my calls I've been so worried!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait.. hang on..." Roxanne was all kinds of taken back. Her phone had run out of credit just that morning and she had meant to go buy more but work had suddenly become over powering. She had came home exhausted after a day of running around reporting live from multiple locations, and had gotten straight into bed. Only now had she finally come to, with the sounds of someone banging on the door. Now she had Megamind holding her so tightly she could feel his heart beating through his clothes. "Megamind I'm fine-"

"Are you really?" he asked, voice shaking as he pulled back, hands gripping her shoulders as he looked at her. "Your eyes aren't glassy, you're not under hypnosis. You haven't got any marks on your neck or wrist, no bite marks... you... you... you're in your night wear."

"Yes. Yes I am." she said stiffly.

"Partly see through night wear." he mumbled.

"Hmmhm." she nodded, trying to calm down the blush radiating over her cheeks.

"...I'm... going to leave now and throw myself in front of traffic." he turned to do just that, but she grabbed at his arm.

"No, no wait. It's okay! I get it. Just wait here." she said. "No running into traffic. All right?"

"As you wish." he mumbled, eyes now pointed at the floor without even really realizing the phrase he'd just used, or what context it meant to him. So shaken was he from seeing Roxanne in something so flimsy and partly see though he didn't know what to think. Other then that the image would probably crop up in his dreams at some later point.

Roxanne hurried to her walk in closet and grabbed her pale blue dressing gown and pulled it over her spaghetti string, somewhat see through night gown. What had made her wear this thing tonight? Oh yeah, it was a warm night. She wondered how Megamind managed to run around, fight vampires, and wear all that leather without sweating like a pig. Maybe he didn't sweat? No that can't be right. He looked human enough...

Realizing her mind was wandering she turned and approached him, standing exactly where she had left him. "Okay. Want to tell me why you're breaking into my apartment?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"M... my Father might... might be alive and... and I was told that... that a war is coming and that... our friends might be in danger and you just... d-didn't answer your phone so I thought..." he trailed off, still staring at the floor. If he looked at her all he would see was that silly white gown and the feeling of her body against his from the previous embrace. His face was, by now, a shade of lavender.

She stood there for a moment, before her watchful expression softened. That was a lot to reply to, his father might be alive? A war? She might be in danger? She didn't like the sounds of any of it. "Who told you about your Father...?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch his back and realized just how heavily armed he was. She could feel a hammer through the material, and there was a _sword_ on his back, of all things. How in the world did he get up here?

"I fought a vampire this evening." he then went on to explain to her the situation, about the vampire in the school, how it had been there the night of the ambush upon himself and his Father and that the man had been taken away after being over powered. By the time he finished they were in the lounge, and she had turned just one lamp on to bring some light to the room while the city skyline continued to glimmer outside her window.

Roxanne listened intently; she was good at that, being a reporter, and watched his expression as he talked. It was obvious the idea that his Father was actually alive was both a blessing and a curse, since who knew what would have happened to him in all these years. Was he imprisoned? Tortured? Bitten? What if it had been a lie, just to anger the slayer? She brushed some hair out of her face and frowned slightly.

"...and just... you didn't answer, so I was afraid they had gotten to you." Megamind said.

"Hm. That's sweet of you to care so much." she said, "And I'm sorry about my phone. I always run out of credit when I need it the most and today was just so, so busy... we found Hal's van."

"You did? Where?" he lifted his gaze to look at her.

"East of the city. They figure it was high jacked during the party and driven out there since it had crashed into a gate." Roxanne explained. "But there wasn't any blood anywhere..."

Megamind frowned. That sounded suspicious. "Well... we'll see if he shows up. If not, we'll lodge a case with the Family and everyone will keep an eye out for him." he paused when he saw the sullen expression on her face. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"I just... I feel bad." she admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"Bad, why?" he asked.

"Hal... well. I know he liked me. _Everyone_ knew he liked me and he was a nice enough guy, a bit of a nerd and might have improved in personal grooming just a tad but he never hurt me. He never hurt anyone. But he just... came off as creepy sometimes. I kept him at arms length, you know? I didn't want him to begin to think he had a chance with me because, he isn't really my type. And I feel bad, if he _is_ dead..." Roxanne trailed off as the guilt hung over her. Would he not be missing if she hadn't ditched him the way she had? But the table had been full of people, why didn't Hal talk to them instead? Why had he been such an oddball?

"Hey, hey..." Megamind shifted closer to her and reached out, and dared to put his hand to her back. "Don't think like that. It isn't your fault he's missing."

"No?" she asked quietly.

Megamind shook his head. "No."

She looked down at her hands, and looked unconvinced.

"Look, vampires... they don't pick and choose who they want to take." Megamind explained. "When they're hungry, and if they have the chance, they'll grab anyone they can. Hal might have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Heck, _anyone_ could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I myself have been jumped a few times by hungry vampires when in disguise."

"I'm sure that came as a surprise." Roxanne smiled faintly.

"The biggest surprise was when I lopped off the guys head with a sword faster than he could blink." Megamind grinned playfully.

"Wow you must be pretty good at that then. Swordplay, I mean." she gestured to the sword he had set on the coffee table.

"I have to be." he replied as he too stared at it. "Father taught me everything I know and from that I've worked out my own moves, too."

"You really should show me what you can do at some point." Roxanne smiled.

He had just been about to answer that when the door behind them leading onto her balcony shattered. Instinctively he grabbed Roxanne and pushed her down onto the couch and covered her with his own body. The force had been so strong that the coffee table toppled, and his sword fell to the floor, the same as a few photo frames on the walls and a vase of flowers positioned near by on a table.

Lifting his head Megamind's eyes widened when he saw a woman come crashing in after the glass. Her foot swung and hit him in the face, and that sent Megamind toppling away. He then realized he hadn't even taken off his disguise yet; he still looked human. She thought he was just a normal guy.

"There you are!" the woman cried with an all too cheerful peal of laughter at Roxanne, who was sitting up shakily on her couch.

"What- who are- look what you've...!" Roxanne didn't know what to say but next thing she knew the woman's hand was clamping down around her throat. She gasped, and grabbed at the woman's arm but found her to have so much strength it was impossible to try and pry herself free.

"I've been paid good money to bring you in, Miss. Ritchi." whispered the woman into her ear. "We have plans for-" her little speech was interrupted when the sword came slicing down between them. One instant the woman had a whole arm, the next it had been sliced in half entirely. She screamed in agony as Roxanne fell to the floor, the hand around her neck now loose and lifeless.

Megamind stood between the two women, sword drawn, and disguise removed. "You will not touch her again." he growled.

The woman, shaken by the loss of her arm, stood there in shock as she cradled the stump she now called an arm. Lifting her gaze she looked at Megamind, and then the sword. She knew that sword. Every vampire from Metro City knew to fear that sword almost as badly as the sword handler's fathers. Opening her mouth she hissed at him before getting down onto all fours and suddenly changed.

"A changeling!" Megamind screamed and turned to Roxanne quickly. "Get behind a door and lock it now!" he ordered.

Where a woman once stood, now stood a pure white wolf, still missing her left paw. But this didn't seem to deter her at all. Jaws snapping she leapt upon Megamind, growling viciously. Megamind, caught off guard, went crashing to the floor and into the coffee table that splintered beneath the weight of the wolf and the alien. Roxanne, having just gotten to her feet, screamed and ran from the room but quickly returned with a metal baseball bat. By now Megamind was almost out from under the wolf, whose attack had knocked his sword out of his hands again. Her breath was that of death, and her digging claw against his ribs and shoulders was drawing deep red blood.

Then the bat came smashing down on the wolf's head, neck, and back. Roxanne just continued to hit the animal, who did have a strong aversion to pain was already weakened by the loss of her limb, yelped and flinched under the blows.

"ROXANNE!" Megamind screamed as the wolf began to turn finally, probably to leap onto Roxanne. This was the moment he needed, as he grabbed his sword quickly and brought it back to him.

Roxanne froze, bat above her head, as the metal suddenly spiked through the wolf entirely. Blood clung to the gleaming metal as it came out from her back, and the blood stained the beautiful white fur. The animal let out a small, pitiful sound before falling off of Megamind, onto the ground. As Megamind withdrew the sword the wolf changed back, and the woman lay bleeding on the floor, clutching at the sword injury to her chest.

"Who sent you?" Megamind demanded, putting the sword tip to her throat.

"Why should... I tell you...?" she asked.

Megamind knelt, grabbed the woman's good arm and sliced it off with his sword without even flinching. The woman screamed and hissed at him.

"Because if you don't I'm going to keep you alive for as long as possible and it won't be _pleasant._" he growled. "Who sent you to get Roxanne Ritchi?"

She glared up at him, shuddering. "Orders... are orders..." she smiled shakily. "D-daddy wanted to... to meet your lady... friend..."

He glared at her, the grip on his sword tightening. Daddy? Did she mean Father? Why would he want to see Roxanne? Unless this was all a lie, a hoax to upset him, so he wouldn't see straight. Turning his head he looked at Roxanne, who stood there holding her bat still and glaring down at the woman on her floor. She wasn't scared at all, and that was impressive. Sudden movement surprised him, Roxanne swung her bat, and barely missed hitting him.

The woman ran from the room, leapt out of the window and fell towards the ground. Both Megamind and Roxanne rushed to the balcony and looked over but she was gone. Roxanne, still gripping the bat, stood there in the cold night air shivering. Her whole body was pumping with adrenalin. She may have been a victim the first time a vampire showed up in her life but she refused to be a weeping, hysterical woman the second time. Even though she was certain her blows to the beast had more or less annoyed her than hurt her, it had helped Megamind overpower her in the end, right?

"That was amazing." Megamind said, staring at her with wide eyes full of awe.

"H-huh?" Roxanne asked, turning to look at him.

"You! I... I didn't think you'd..." he looked at the bat, then back at her. "Wow."

They stared at each other, hearts racing from the adrenalin of the vampire encounter, and Roxanne couldn't help but feel like this was the chance for something wonderful. He had come to her defense a second time, and she had helped him out. She had _helped_... If he hadn't come to check on her, where would she be right now? And now here they stood, vampire defeated (in a way) and the way he was looking at her with those eyes of his, how he looked so awed by her presence and her strength. No man had ever looked at her like that before.

She smiled, shakily, before looking down at her feet. "I couldn't just let you handle it yourself. Stupid, I know... you've done this your entire life... you're full of confidence when it comes to this sort of thing..."

"Well. That's true." Megamind replied as he set a hand against the balcony. "But... thing is, I'm not _that_ confident."

She lifted her gaze to look at him, perplexed.

"When... well. Hgn." he turned away from her and sighed, frowning now.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Roxanne asked. "You're amazing at what you do, you have to know that..."

"I do, believe me I do." he replied quietly. "I can take on a room of vampires and get out with only a dislocated arm and a few bruises but when it comes down to... to..." Megamind trailed into silence and sighed heavily. "No. I can't even do this."

"Do what, what is it that you can't do?" she asked. When he said nothing she groaned. "You men! You can swing in and fight guns blazing but when it comes to your feelings you bottle them up!"

"Hey I'm not that bad..." Megamind countered.

"Oh yes you are. Look, just say what's on your mind and tell me what you're thinking." Roxanne said, putting a hand to her hip while the bat rested on her shoulder. "Don't think about it. Just spit it out."

"I think you're amazing." he blurted, as instructed, not thinking. "Instead of running and hiding you come out swinging with a bat. You didn't scream. You didn't cry. You did it all in your night things and you look so confident and I'm amazed by it all. I just think you're amazing and I want to get to know you more but now that this has happened I don't know how I can protect you but it doesn't look like you really need it; oh man. I don't know what I'm saying anymore. I want to keep you safe but outside of moving you to our manor completely I see no other way of doing it but I can't ask that of you, you're far too independent to need me watching over you I just can't stand the idea of loosing you as soon as I finally met you what if I hadn't come check on you, you would be gone and I'd be so... lost."

Roxanne stood there, shocked to silence. She hadn't expected all of _that_, but now that he had said it he looked a mixture of relieved, and anxious. He had no idea how she'd react to any of that. And to be honest, she didn't either.

But she finally smiled and reached out to him, and rubbed his arm gently. "You're the sweetest, most amazing guy I've ever met." Roxanne told him. "And I'm not just saying that. And about protecting me... well..." she turned to observe her partly destroyed apartment. The moment was lost to her now, and it was probably best to jump to another subject. "...for tonight I'd appreciate a place to crash."

"I can manage that." Megamind said honestly, heart still racing. He turned his head away and stared at her poor apartment as well, and felt guilty. "I'm... I'm sorry." he said.

"For what?" she asked as she walked back into the apartment, leaving the balcony and the moment behind.

"Look at what happened here, if I hadn't..." he started, but stopped.

"Yes you stop there." Roxanne said firmly, turning to look at him. "This isn't your fault, just like Hal going missing isn't mine. These things happen, and if you hadn't come to check on me I don't want to even think about what could have happened. So come on, you're going to help me pack a bag for the night since I refuse to sleep in just my underwear at your place again."

"As you... wish..." Megamind's mind went a little blank as well as fuzzy at the mention of underwear, but just numbly nodded as he followed her into her room where she would indeed, pack a bag for the night.

_To be continued_


	12. Licking our Wounds

"So I need to pack a few things since I'm sure the insurance people will take their time to-oh my God!" Roxanne, who had been leading Megamind through her apartment suddenly gasped as she looked at him.

"What, what is it?" he asked,

"You're bleeding!" Roxanne reached out and touched his injured shoulder and side where she could see blood staining through the black leather. How had she not seen that before? Had they been that wrapped up in talking outside for either of them to notice his blood seeping in his clothing?

"I am?" he asked at first then flinched when he felt her hands on his injured person. "Ah! Oh, uh. I guess I am..." Megamind reached down and touched his side and looked at the deep red blood that smeared on his fingers.

"Can't you feel it?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm kind of used to pain. To quote a meathead, _I ain't got time to bleed._" but then he flinched again, killing the image. "Okay ow. That does hurt."

"Come on." Roxanne took hold of his wrist and tugged him to his feet and lead him through to her bathroom. "You need to have those wounds cleaned and bandaged."

"It's no big deal, really..." Megamind said.

"Oh stop being so macho." Roxanne snapped.

He stared at her, eyes wide. "Nobody has _ever_ called me that before."

"First time for everything. Okay, let's do this." Roxanne moved behind him and helped ease him out of his black leather jacket and she held it up to inspect the damage. The vampire had ripped some holes in the leather on the left shoulder and chest area.

"Aw man. I'm going to have to fix that..." Megamind muttered when he looked at the clothing. Roxanne looked at him, then at the jacket again. If she looked closely she saw there was stitching all over the jacket, some pieces had been completely torn away to be only stitched back into place.

"How long have you had this jacket?" she asked as she set it down carefully, now knowing how important it was to him.

"Since I turned sixteen. Sad thing is I haven't had to take it out or anything." he said with a shrug as she turned back to investigate the shirt he was wearing. It had ripped parts too, and beneath the black of the sheer material she could see rich blue skin where there wasn't any blood.

"Right... okay." Roxanne suddenly reached down and tugged the shirt up and out of his pants and began to pull it up.

Megamind yelped and jumped back, lifting both of his arms as if he was suddenly Bruce Lee.

"What?" she asked.

"...I can take my shirt off." he said stiffly.

"I don't think so, that injury to your shoulder and arm might make moving it above your head difficult." Roxanne pointed out.

"It would not." Megamind frowned.

"Go on then." she folded her arms across her chest smugly and watched him.

He stared at her, before he begun to try and lift the shirt up and over his head. Unfortunately, Roxanne was right. He hissed and pulled all kinds of faces in pain before sighing and stood there, stomach exposed, and allowed his arms to fall slowly back to his sides. "All right, all right..."

But Roxanne said nothing. Instead she was staring at his stomach, a mildly surprised look on her face. While she hadn't expected him to be too fit, what she hadn't thought she'd see was a very lean stomach that had just the start of a six pack. Of course he had to be lean, and fit, in order to fight vampires. Why hadn't that ever occurred to her?

"Roxanne?" Megamind's voice pulled her out of her brief stop by la-la land.

"Oh right. Sorry." she apologized and moved forward and gingerly helped him out of his shirt. She moved behind him to help tug it off and smiled faintly. He had buttons at the back of his shirts neck in order to open, and allow easy removal of his shirt because of his large head. Unbuttoning them she finally eased the shirt off and placed it with his jacket.

Megamind's back was like a history of scars and bruises. There were obvious claw marks, long since healed but left their wounds against his taunt, lean shoulder blades. Down his back, from tonight, a fresh purple and black bruise was growing because of his crashing into her coffee table. Roxanne wanted to reach out and just touch the blue man's back, to feel the warmth and strength radiating beneath the scars but knew this wasn't the time at all.

So she moved around to the medicine cabinet and pulled out her first aid kit.

Turning back she stared at the shirtless man standing in her bathroom, who was applying some pressure to the scratches to his shoulder blade. While he did come off as incredibly skinny, especially in that big black leather jacket he wore, when you got right down to it, he was _fit._ He had muscle mass where it counted, his arms, his pecks and of course that stomach of his. She wondered what his legs looked like when he wasn't wearing those black pants of his, but had to shake her mind free of where it was going.

She had a job to do.

"Do you have a favorite type of disinfectant?" she asked as she opened the kit.

"Should I?" Megamind asked.

"No I guess not." she got out a small bottle and some cotton balls. Soaking them in the ointment she returned to him. "Lower your hands." Roxanne instructed. "This might sting a bit." carefully she dabbed the wounds and she saw his whole body quiver momentarily, but he didn't yelp, nor complain. _He's used to this isn't he? Just how badly injured has he been before?_ she wondered as she cleaned the wound on his shoulder first, before changing the cotton wool in order to clean his side.

Megamind stood there, barely moving. Sure, the stuff stung, but that meant it worked. The last thing he wanted was getting an infection from a vampire's scratch, even if such a thing hadn't happened in all his years of vampire slaying. Maybe he was just lucky or... for a long time he wondered if his blood was similar to humans, or something else entirely. If he was bitten by a vampire, would he become one? Or would his powerful immune system attack the cells?

There were so many questions and not enough time to investigate.

"You know you're amazing, right?" Roxanne asked as she tossed the last cotton wool into the toilet.

"I am?" Megamind asked, surprised by such a statement.

"You do remember what just happened, right? A woman flew into my apartment, grabbed me, and you sliced her _arm off._ Roxanne said as she found some bandage to press against the injured parts of his body and some medical tape to hold it in place. "Her arm! She slams you into the ground and you stick your sword right through her as if she was made of air. That... that was amazing."

"That was my job." he said blankly. "It's not that amazing. Now you, coming in swinging with that bat was amazing." he countered.

"No. No it really wasn't." she replied sternly. "Stop arguing. You're amazing."

He flushed across his face, before falling silent. You never argue with women, you always loose. "If you say so..."

She smiled faintly, amused by how humble he was despite the work he was doing. He didn't do it for praise, he did it because it was the right thing to do. Megamind had never asked for any kind of thanks in return for saving her not only once, but twice now. She wondered what she could offer him that he'd actually accept. Mind whirring, she quickly finished bandaging him up and stood back to observe her handiwork, and to take in another look of his body.

"Very nice." she mumbled, stroking her lips with her fingers.

"What?" Megamind asked, since he had been observing himself in the mirror.

"Very nice bandage work, if I say so myself." Roxanne said, covering up her small slip up.

"Well I must say I'm impressed." he smirked as he glanced over his shoulder to look at her. "I've seen some top notch bandaging in my time, too. Not to toot my own horn but I do a mean leg splint."

"I'm sure!" she couldn't help but laugh. "All right, you need some help getting your shirt back on?" Roxanne asked since she saw him moving away to pick up his discarded pieces of clothing.

"Hm?" Megamind turned his head momentarily before looking back at his shirt. "Oh no I'm sure I can manage this time. Watch." and he tugged the shirt over his head and easily, but slowly and gently, eased his injured arm through the correct sleeve before dressing his right one. "There we go."

"Okay then... I best go pack."

When she had told Megamind she would be packing bag, he didn't think she meant so many of them. She had told him, repairs to her apartment would take a while, and the insurance would take even longer to fix it so she might as well make her stay at Megamind's longer than he had first anticipated. She had to pack her work clothes, work out gear, casual tear, night wear, not to mention her unmentionables and bathroom things as well.

"And that should be it." Roxanne said as she zipped her suitcase up.

Megamind, used to packing light, was astounded by how many bags she had filled in such a short amount of time. She had him sat on the corner of her bed, watching her quietly with his jacket draped around his shoulders.

"I guess we're ready. You're all bandaged, I'm packed... oh right. I need to change." Roxanne looked down at her dressing gown that was now stained with a little bit of blood in a few places.

At that statement Megamind was up, to his feet, and leaving the bedroom.

She was about to call out to him but realized it was best he at least leave to give her a moment to dress. _Charming._ she thought to herself as she quickly pulled on some jeans and a simple shirt and jacket since it was late, and dark out. She stacked her suitcase with its matching bags that were also full, pulled her shoes on, and pulled them out of the bedroom and paused only to shut the light off behind her.

~*~

"So, War huh?" Bernard asked as he pulled the blind of his apartments window down.

"War, at least that's what Megamind thinks." shrugged Wayne as he sat on the couch.

"Wait, so you're taking his word for it?" turning back to him Bernard returned to the couch and sat down besides him. "Seriously?"

"He said that a vampire told him that Father was still alive," Wayne explained as Bernard placed his hand on top of his. "And that there'd be more coming for us. The Family, and our friends. If I know my brother, he's going off after his new friend right now. Just like how I came out here for you."

"Roxanne?" Bernard asked, eyes gleaming slightly. "Really?"

"Oh yes. Roxanne." Wayne replied with a smirk.

Bernard withheld the desire to cackle with amusement, instead he leaned to the side and rested his head on Wayne's shoulder. "Cute. I guess. Though I have to wonder how she'll feel about being worried over. She's one of those women who take care of themselves."

"Really now? I'm sure he'll love that." Wayne chuckled. "He seems pretty smitten, the way he acts around her or when he talks about her."

"Does that a lot, does he?" Bernard arched an eyebrow.

"He does. But, there's more important matters at hand then talking about my brother and his crush on the news lady." Wayne lifted his arm up, Bernard shifted slightly, and Wayne settled his arm back down so it rested around Bernard's waist. "I know _you're_ strong, but do you think you'll be alright living here alone?"

"I've lived here alone for many years now, you know that. I don't think they'd come after me, because I'm a werewolf. You know how they feel about my kind, they think we're nothing but slobbering mangy stupid animals. They don't see me as a threat." Bernard mumbled as he rested a hand gently against Wayne's stomach a moment before he caressed it slowly, "...you know for a guy who's a pacifist your body's naturally built for battle. I can feel your six pack from here."

"I know." he sighed. "I hate it."

"I don't." Bernard replied.

"Well, that's what matters." he smirked. "But honestly. You'll be all right?"

"If I need help I'll ask for it, thanks." Bernard confirmed, nodding his head once. "Unless you're really that worried?"

Wayne shrugged slightly as his thumb brushed against Bernard's hip as he stared ahead. "I'd hate to have something happen to you."

"So what are the options then, if I couldn't manage alone? Wrap me in bubble wrap?" he asked. "Bubble wrap makes me chaff. After popping it all, of course."

"Nothing like that. And I don't know... you could move to the manor?" Wayne offered.

"Moving in, after becoming a couple so quickly? My God. You're sweeping me off my feet already aren't you?" Bernard smirked.

Wayne blushed. "Well it's just that, it's safe there and your safe room is downstairs so it'll make going to it easier than usual and... well I'll be there and..." he trailed off and sighed. "You're right. I can't ask you to do that. This is your home. I can't take you away from here."

"Sure you can." Bernard said. "I hate it here."

"What?" Wayne blinked.

"I hate my apartment. It's small, cramp, and the place smells. I mean I can smell all the old people around me and their cat litter boxes that aren't being clean. I hate living here." the librarian rested his head against Wayne's chest now, shutting his eyes as the sound of the man's heart beating filled his ears. "So how about until this new threat passes, I'll stay at the manor."

"Thank you." Wayne kissed the top of Bernard's head. "That means a lot."

"You missed." Bernard said, tilting his head back to look up at him.

"Missed what?" asked Wayne.

"My mouth's here." he pointed, and smiled faintly when Wayne finally got it.

"Right, sorry." apologized Wayne before tilting Bernard's head up a little before kissing him softly. "I'll try not to miss in future."

"Good boy." Bernard purred before he pulled Wayne back down for a second kiss. Their kisses, thus far, had been fairly tame and innocent but no less enjoyable for him. But the two of them had been obviously waiting for a moment like this with each other for a long, long time, so he threw caution out the window and opened his mouth beneath Wayne's. He could hear Wayne's heart beat quicken at this, and when his other arm wrapped around him and returned the kiss with great vigor, Bernard could all but smell the hormones in the air.

Sometimes being a werewolf was a good thing.

The heated kiss came to an end, and Bernard shuddered afterwards but ended up scowling since his glasses had fogged up due to their hot breath. "Ugh..." he groaned, before giving a small laugh and pressed his lips to the corner of Wayne's mouth. "You'd think being a werewolf would fix my vision..."

"I like your glasses." Wayne pointed out as his hand ran up and down Bernard's back.

"Make me seem intelligent, hm?" Bernard asked.

"Hn, I wouldn't say that..." Wayne was kissing him again, and all concern over glasses and fogged glass was forgotten. Bernard couldn't help but utter a guttural moan as his nails dug into Wayne's upper back as he gripped at him, arching his tongue as his and Wayne's clashed for the second time that night. It was electrifying, far better than he had once thought it would be. They had both waited for this, and it did seem that good things _did_ come to those who wait.

Bernard growled softly beneath Wayne's lips and pushed forward, causing Wayne to once more end up overpowered by the smaller, yet still equally strong, man. When Wayne opened his eyes he was on his back on the couch, and Bernard was sitting in his lap.

"Sorry," Bernard mumbled as he wiped his hand across his mouth, feeling how swollen his lips felt. "going too... too fast, am I?" he asked.

"Wouldn't say that." Wayne replied honestly. "This feels good..." his hands trailed down Bernard's back to grip lightly at his hips. "And from what I can see, you're feeling pretty good too."

"Well that's a given. Big, studly man who I find extremely attractive kissing me how can I _not_ get excited?" Bernard asked before grinning almost wickedly, and pushed downwards slightly. He shuddered, same as Wayne did beneath him, and sighed heavily afterwards. "You are too, aren't you?"

"You know I am." smirked Wayne, lifting a hand to push it through Bernard's wild, untamed hair. "You're so bad." he grinned.

"Bad dog?" Bernard asked with a smirk.

"I wouldn't say _that..._" Wayne replied as he curled a particular long piece of hair around his index finger. "I wouldn't say that at all."

Bernard sighed before he lay down on top of Wayne, kissed his jaw once, before settling his head on his shoulder. "Good. I'd bite you if you said that."

Wayne chuckled, and lifted both of his hands slowly upwards until they vanished up and underneath Bernard's shirt. He felt the warmth of the other man, and how he shuddered beneath his touch. Maybe it was the threat of what could be coming for the two of them, or the fact that they would be sharing quarters in his home sooner or later, but whatever it was now fuelled a sudden rushing urge that had gripped at the two of them and was refusing to let them go.

Before the night was through, the neighbours who lived around the apartment of Mr. Bernard Dunning were making noise complaints to the super intendant...

_To be continued_


	13. Heartfelt Thanks

Minion didn't know _what_ to think. While he had heard back from numerous members of the Family across America, none of them had any inkling to what the voyeur vampire had been talking about. Some had half a mind to tell him it was nothing but lies spewed by the demon in order to upset Megamind and nothing more. But the fact remained that the vampire had known specific details about the attack in the woods, and that he had mentioned the children had gotten a good few Family members worried.

Being informed to 'hang tight' until further details surface was never a good thing and on top of that Wayne hadn't come home yet, and any and all calls to his mobile had ended up going to his voice mail. The fish was full of all kinds of worry.

Hearing the front door open the fish bolted from his place in the kitchen to the entrance hall and gasped when he saw Megamind enter, his leather jacket slung over his arms and obvious tears and rips in his shirt. The fish could also see stains of blood thick on the clothing, and panic over took him.

"What on Earth happened?" he asked, reaching out and plucked the torn jacket from Megamind without question.

"Roxanne was attacked in her apartment." Megamind replied distantly, before stepping back and held his hand out the front door and Roxanne's hand took his in turn, and he helped her through the door. "It was a good thing I went there when I did."

Minion felt as though a stone had been dropped into his stomach. If he had kept the keys out of Megamind's grasp, or refused to allow him to go to see her what would have happened to her...? He pushed the 'what if' away, and focused on the young woman. "Miss. Ritchi are you all right? Here let me help you with those..." the fish bustled past her and picked up her bags, before realizing what he was carrying. "Wait. What are these?"

"Suitcases." Megamind informed him. "Duh!"

"I know they're suitcases Sir, I'm asking why are they here?" Minion asked.

"It's too dangerous for Roxanne to remain living alone unprotected. A changeling broke into her apartment, Minion! Without needing permission and it almost strangled her!" Megamind explained.

"Oh dear that... that's not good at all." Minion frowned.

"Not really. It made a mess of my apartment." Roxanne sighed.

"Are you hurt?" Minion asked.

"I'm not, but he was. I cleaned him up as best I could and bandaged the injuries..." Roxanne gestured to Megamind's shoulder and side.

"Thank you, that was nice of you." Minion complimented before closing the door behind them. "So was there any messages this time?"

"No... not really." Megamind sighed. "How about word from the Family, what are they doing?"

"Told us to sit tight and wait to see if more information comes up." reported the fish.

Megamind groaned. "In other words be sitting ducks until it's too late. Is Wayne back?"

"No not yet."

Megamind had grumbled and complained for a while before they both took Roxanne's suitcases up to the spare room she had slept in previously. It had been cleaned since then, by Minion, so there were fresh blankets and sheets awaiting her. This time Megamind showed her where the stylish old style bathroom was, and the toilet (since both were different rooms) before she settled down for the night. It had been a crazy time, for all of them...

"Megamind?"

He had just been turning to leave her be when he heard her voice call back to him from her room and he turned to see Roxanne leaning slightly on the door frame.

"I never really properly thanked you." Roxanne said quietly.

"You don't have to." he replied with a shrug.

"No, I do." she replied sternly, hand gripping the wood. "You risk your life every single night, does anyone actually really thank you?"

"Hard to when I wipe their memories of the attacks." Megamind pointed out. "I don't do this for praise, though. I do it because... well. It's the right thing to do."

She shook her head and sighed. How could he not see the impact of what he was doing? Maybe he did, but chose to ignore it, feeling that somebody like him didn't deserve any kind of thanks for doing what came natural to him. Whatever the reason, it still didn't feel right.

"Well." she pushed herself away from the door and walked briskly out into the hallway towards him and rubbed his uninjured arm. "Here I am, speaking on behalf of all the people you've rescued. Thank you, Megamind." Roxanne then moved in closer and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "You're doing brilliant work." she grinned, playfully punched his shoulder before turning and hurrying back to her room before he'd see how red her face had turned. "Good night." she said through the door crack before shutting it behind her.

"...g… good night..." Megamind mumbled, standing as still as anything. That had just happened, hadn't it? He'd never been kissed by a girl before. A kiss on the cheek was just as important as a kiss to the lips and this... she had just... a shaky, happy smile crossed his face and he lifted his hand and touched his cheek where the skin burned from her lips.

He slowly turned, feeling as though his feet were walking a foot above the ground, and made his way from the hallway.

On the other side of the door, Roxanne pressed her back against the cool wood with her eyes shut. Why was her heart racing this fast? It was like she had just swung her baseball bat at that vampire all over again, but all she had done was show some form of gratitude to the man. Gripping against the door she considered going back out there to do or say... _something_ but for once she had no idea what to do. This was so unlike her it was scary.

Finally she pushed herself away from the door and staggered over to her bed and sat.

"Calm down." she said, "You're acting like a teenager. You're not. You're a grown woman. You haven't even known him a week, you're practically throwing yourself at him as it is! Ugh what would my mother think..." Roxanne pressed her hands against her forehead and fell backwards onto her bed and did her best not to think about how warm his skin was or how he had smelt faintly of natural musk nor how she had smelt that scent back when she was tending to his injuries.

Roxanne groaned as the image of his body suddenly appeared in her mind, standing there in her bathroom, shirtless and injured. How badly had she wanted to run her hands over his shapely stomach, his strengthened back and shoulders? She had kissed men with beards before, but she wondered how his small goatee would feel against her own chin. "No. No, no. Stop it." Roxanne opened her eyes and pushed herself back into a sitting position on the bed, and focused on sorting out her suitcases, finding her night things, and getting herself to bed as soon as possible.

~*~

"Are you going to bed now, Sir?" Minion asked as he watched Megamind come trailing down the stairs.

"Hn?" Megamind asked dolefully as he reached the end of the stairs.

"Are you going to bed? You need it, you look... well. Not too bad but you need your rest." the fish watched as his friend seemed to almost float across the floor towards the library. "Sir?"

"No." replied Megamind as he made his way through the large doors.

"No?" frowned Minion as he followed quickly. "No to what?"

"Sleep. I can't." Megamind looked around the library room which was huge, and went up three whole floors through the mansion. There were a few places to stop, further up, to stand and sit to read through a book but all the fancy furniture was on the ground floor. The only way to reach the books at the top of the shelves was to use the incredibly tall ladders that ran on wheels and were built to only move along the bookshelves. "I have to study."

"Study? At a time like this, Sir?" Minion fretted as he paused to look at a grandfather clock that told him the time was currently 11:36pm. When he turned back to look at Megamind the blue alien was already climbing the ladder up towards a section of books that were encased in a glass cabinet. "Sir! Surely you can't be meaning...!"

"I do mean." replied Megamind as he made it to the cabinet that was near the very top of the bookshelf ladder. He pulled a key out from a pocket and slowly unlocked the doors. "Things are getting serious if the children are back, and I need to know how to deal with them. Simply slashing at them with swords and stakes don't work..."

"Ohhhh..." he hurried closer and held onto the ladder as he watched Megamind pull a few old books out of the cabinet before closing it, and began his slow descent down the ladder. Minion moved out of the way once Megamind was close enough, and peered at the books that Megamind held in his hands. They were old books, the type you had to wear gloves to read, and if they were exposed to air for too long a time it might ruin the pages and old leather bindings. "Those are very old, Sir..." he mumbled.

"I know. But they detail the last war, and many others before it. All of them full of details that can help us... and to how ward off unwanted intruders." Megamind said as he moved to a table and gently set the old books upon it. He _had_ to learn more, as much as he possibly could in order to protect the city, the people, and of course Roxanne. She mattered more to him than he would care to admit, but he had the idea that Minion understood. His fish always seemed to know those things about him.

Minion knew how his friend got when it came to books and reading. Nothing would come between him and them so he patted Megamind's back. "Try not to read too late." he told him before leaving the library and headed upstairs to check on Roxanne. Her door was shut, and when he knocked there was no answer. Very quickly he pushed the door open to see the woman sleeping on the bed, and she had her window firmly shut and locked. She had even stacked a few suitcases beneath the window so in case something did climb through they would fall over them.

The baseball bat besides her on the bed, though, surprised him.

Still, he remembered how Megamind had once slept with a stake on his pillow back when he was younger. Then it had upgraded his sword. Now though he knew the manor was protected, and vampires were unable to cross the threshold no matter how badly they would want to. Father had gone to great lengths to protect the house from the demons who would give anything to gain access to their home. He had brought holy men from practically all religions every few years to protect the building. Thus far it worked, since no vampires had dared show up on the doorstep waiting to be asked 'do you want to come in?' which was normally all it needed to let a vampire into your house.

But then why, or how, had that other vampire gotten into Roxanne's apartment? This was all looking very questionable... but, understandable at the same time. If the children were back, that meant any vampires who came in contact with them would have just that little bit more power to their abilities then usual. No wonder the Family was worried, and no wonder why Megamind was now pouring over books that were hundreds of years old in order to find a way to defeat them another time.

Minion told himself to remain calm. Wayne was more than capable of taking care of himself, and Miss. Ritchi was now safe within their walls. He could rest easy; at least until morning when Wayne gets home he would no doubt get a scolding of a life time from the fish.

And he did.

Morning came, and after Minion began his usual morning routine of opening up the curtains on the house and beginning to make breakfast he heard the front door finally open. The fish turned the heat down on the kettle and stormed from the kitchen, forgetting entirely to remove his 'Kiss the Cook' apron he wore while cooking.

For the second time in eight hours Minion found a suitcase sitting inside the hallway. After a moment he wondered if it was Roxanne's, but it wasn't red nor did it match the others that Roxanne ahd brought. It was black, and just as he got closer Bernard came walking through the door.

"Mr. Dunning?" Minion asked, blinking in surprise.

"Oh uh. Hey, Minion." Bernard nodded his head in greeting. "Morning."

"Good morning. What are you-Wayne!" the fish put his fists to his hips as Wayne walked in after Bernard, carrying another suitcase. "Just where _were_ you last night? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You know how important everything is now, that we know that everyone's safe!"

"Are you his mother?" Bernard asked.

"No but I might as well be his mother by this point." Minion scowled before turning to Wayne again. "Well?"

"I'm sorry, Minion." Wayne apologized. "I really didn't mean to make you worry. That was wrong of me. Thing is, something big kind of came up-" he pointedly ignored thet snort Bernard made and continued, "-and I had to check in with Bernard."

"Let me guess." Minion said, looking from Bernard to Wayne. "In order to keep him safe you've offered him a place to stay here?"

"Wow, yes. That's exactly... how did you guess?" Wayne asked, honestly impressed.

"Because Sir did the same thing last night with Miss. Ritchi. She's upstairs in the guest room." Minion pointed up the stairs.

"Roxanne's here?" Bernard asked, eyes widening with surprise before grabbing both his suitcases from Wayne. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing much outside a changeling managing to break into her apartment while he was there." Minion replied sarcastically. "So I guess since she could break in without needing permission to enter that's a sign alone that things are heating up. It's a good thing you brought Bernard here, Wayne. We really can ensure his safety now."

"Not that useless." muttered Bernard as he pointed upstairs. "Should I put these in your room?" he asked Wayne.

"Huh? Oh sure yeah. Go right ahead. Is Megamind up?" Wayne asked.

Minion at first looked confused, before he was over come with a big, happy smile. "Wayne did you finally-"

"Yes, yes. Shhh." reaching out, Wayne pressed his hand over the glass dome where Minion's mouth would be located. "That's why I was out all night last night."

"Ho ho ho. Got a lil' action did we?" Minion asked, grinning.

Wayne, flushing red, ignored the question. "Is Megamind awake?"

"He's in the library. He was reading those old books until late, despite me telling him _not_ to, but I covered him with a blanket around five o'clock. He was asleep by then but at least he had put the books back away since last thing we need is him drooling on four hundred year old book pages." Minion sighed. "He's been taking on a lot of responsibility lately and I'm worried. Tell Mr. Dunning not to come down too hard on him today?" Minion asked.

"I will." Wayne promised before sniffing the air. "Are we having burnt toast for breakfast?"

"MY TOAST!" Minion squawked before rushing off.

"Home sweet home." Wayne smiled before shutting the front door. He was just making his way up the stairs when he saw Roxanne walking into view wearing a dressing gown. He smiled. "Hey Roxy!" he greeted. "Heard you've moved in?"

"Only temporarily." she explained with a small smile. "Morning Wayne. Had a late night out?"

"Just got in to be honest." he said, leaning on the banister as she approached. "With Bernard."

"With Bernard? I thought I heard his voice..." Roxanne trailed off in thought before smiling at him. "Still, I hope I don't get underfoot."

"Oh I doubt you will. We've all got work to do so I think we'll only really see each other at meals that Minion ensures we all sit in for. Family meals mean alot 'round here, so no running off. All right?" Wayne asked. "Or else you'll face the wrath of an angry fish and Minion is not to be toyed with when he's like that."

"I'll bare that in mind thanks. So by, with Bernard, what did you mean?" Roxanne asked.

Wayne turned red again. "I mean with. He's actually going to be staying here with us for a while too, since things are becoming too dangerous out there."

"With us, or with you?" she grinned.

"Am I that readable?" Wayne asked.

"Like a novel." Bernard answered as he walked out the same door way Roxanne had come from. "Yes, Roxanne, it finally happened. You can stop giving me tips."

"Tips?" Wayne asked.

"Oh my God really?" Roxanne, oblivious to Wayne's question, perked up entirely. "Thank God! What happened, tell me everything." she rushed over to her friend.

"Not everything!" Wayne said.

"Hush you." smiled Bernard, eyeing Wayne. "This is private friend talk. Go check on your brother, he's probably got a sore neck." he made 'shoo' motions with his hand before he and Roxanne walked to the end of the stairs and he began to lead her off, no doubt telling her pretty much _everything._

Wayne stood there momentarily, before chewing at his bottom lip. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." he mumbled before heading off to the library to check on Megamind. Last time he had fallen asleep in there he had woken up with the stiffest neck in the city and it took a good massage from himself to crack it back into place, and no matter how much fun it was to hear bones popping and snapping, hearing your brother groan like _that_ was never a nice thing.

_To be continued_


	14. Violence in the Library

The office was, as usual, a hive of activity and Roxanne Ritchi felt as if she was a ship drifting through unfamiliar waters. Even though she had walked these halls, and this floor, countless times in her past five years in the industry today it felt as though it was like it was her first day all over again. How would those around her react to the knowledge that she was now living in the oldest house in Metro City, with not only vampire slayers, but aliens, and a werewolf?

A mere week ago she would have thought herself insane to think such things even existed, and yet as she made her way to her office and set her bag down on the floor, she and she alone knew that the lunch inside her bag had been made lovingly by a talking fish that got around in a robot gorilla suit. It felt like something out of a dream.

Sitting behind her desk she sighed, and leaned back in her chair, and covered her eyes with her hands. How much life had changed in such little time amazed her, sometimes. Had she not gone out to that party to celebrate her promotion, that vampire would never have attacked her, nor would a man have rescued her whose head was twice a normal humans size, with skin the color of the sky on warm July day.

And what skin it was. As Roxanne turned on her computer and picked up the papers that had been put into her inbox, she couldn't help but think back to the nights before. How he had stripped in her bathroom and how scarred his skin had been. Some of the scars looked like they had come from serious injuries, obvious claws had dug into his skin to the point of ripping open his blue skin only to heal, leaving horrendous scarring. His back, his sides and his chest…

If she had those types of scars she would have felt nervous showing her skin off but he acted as if it was no big deal. Heck, Megamind acted like everything he did wasn't a big deal. Glancing up, and thanking her assistant Elliott for handing her some new documents, she had to remind herself he had been raised from such a young age to believe what he was doing was the right thing and that it got no thanks. Who could thank a man like him after killing a vampire?

Did he ever 'get out' just for getting outs sake? He could disguise himself any way he wanted yet when she had asked him if he ever just went out he just shrugged the question away. Wayne looked normal, as did Bernard, and could go out amongst the world and see people. Sit in the sun without needing disguises, meet people, eat food... socialized. All Megamind seemed to do was eat, sleep, study, and go out to fight vampires. Nothing else.

"I should ask him out." she said as she checked her e-mail. "What's the harm in it? No big deal. Just say, hey, I've got time why don't we just go get dinner out on the town or something?" Roxanne thought about his reactions and could all but see the apprehensive, unsure look on his face. He could go out at night, slaughter vampires without blinking, yet could become incredibly nervous and shy if she mentioned something. Or got too close to him.

Wayne had told her that Megamind hadn't been around women outside of the family. He had saved them, of course, but they would scream endlessly when they saw what he was so the memory wiping was almost a relief to the man. Roxanne couldn't help but fear that if she got too close to him, too quickly, it might scare him.

"Scare him. And he fights freaking vampires..." she laughed to herself.

"Who?"

She jumped, and looked up to see Elliott standing in the door way.

"Oh, just. Just a TV show I caught last night." Roxanne covered quickly. "You know, vampire vs. vampire?" she asked.

"Ah yeah. I know that show." he nodded.

"So how are you today, Elliott? Anything new?" she asked.

"Not really." he shrugged as he set down her morning tea on her desk. "How about you?"

I'm living with alien vampire hunters and a werewolf who's dating one of them.

"Nope. Same old boring me." Roxanne chuckled.

"You're not boring, don't say that." he grinned. "Anyway we got a few things that need to be finished by noon so here we go..."

And so began her workday. She wrote up reports for the newspaper to print, checked out the sources for her video reports that would be filmed and sent out to all televisions in Metro City, and checked with her publicist and fashion editor who told her what she should wear for what story. It was all so tedious sometimes but it was the life she loved, and the one she had studied hard forever since she had been a little girl.

Though it felt so different now. Knowing that any information on missing people, and bodies discovered, was no longer related to gang violence but possible vampire attacks. She squirreled away any information that Megamind and Wayne might find interesting.

Even tough she had been reporting for years now, she now began to feel as though she was really helping people out unlike she had been doing before.

With an exasperated sigh Minion walked into the dining hall.

Megamind was where he left him three hours ago, sitting at the dining table. But now he wasn't sitting, he was sleeping again. A few dozen books lay out before him, some of them open, most of them shut but their place was saved by book marks and scraps of material. His blue arms were folded under his chin, and his large forehead rested against the wood of the table.

"Sir you need to stop doing this to yourself..." Minion sighed as he approached, and began to pick up the books and look through them. Most of them were of course on vampires and their habits, but some were also religious. This wasn't at all a surprise. Another book had details on the various Gods of old that had been the basis of Religion that still functioned today, but some had been long forgotten.

"No, don't..." Megamind mumbled as he slowly began to sit up, blinking blearily. "Don't take them."

"This isn't right, Sir. You work all night, you sleep less and you spend more time reading... you're going to give yourself a grey beard!" Minion fussed.

"A grey beard isn't that bad. Father had white hair and he looked fantastic." retorted the alien.

"That's because he was at least fifty when he took us in, Sir."

"Bah!" Megamind waved his hands in Minion's face, startling the fish before he scowled.

"It's Miss. Ritchi isn't it? That's why you're working this hard." frowned Minion.

"What? No it isn't." Megamind replied hurriedly, looking down at the books in front of him.

"Yes it is." replied Minion, setting his hands on his hips. "I know you like her, Sir. Even Wayne and Mr. Dunning see it. You want to protect her, don't you? Protect her like how Father protected us?"

Megamind said nothing, instead he picked up the book and focused on the old carving of a man ripping open another mans throat.

"You want to do for her like what Wayne is trying to do for Mr. Dunning." Minion continued. "Which I find admirable, truly I do Sir. But not if it means you're going to be this tired every day. You can't do everything, and you know this..."

"Father could." Megamind finally said quietly. "He could work all night. Read and do his research. Train me, teach Wayne... he even helped me fashion your first suit... he could do anything. And now he might be alive. Alive, Minion, and I've felt he was dead all these years. It feels like I gave up on him... that I let him down."

"You did no such thing, Sir, and you shouldn't feel that way." Minion said, dragging a chair over to him and sat down besides him at the table.

"I have to save him. I have to find out where they are, where they're coming from, kill the children and save him." Megamind said through clenched teeth.

"...What if they turned him, Sir...?" the fish asked quietly, though he hate to imagine it.

He watched as Megamind's face turned from an angry glare to one of utter heartbreak. His eyes seemed to well with tears that refused to be shed, before tossing the book he had been holding away from him and pressed his hands over his eyes. His shoulders shook violently, and he shook his head. "Then I have to kill him. L-like he.. he told me..."

The memory was as bright as day.

Megamind had been ten years old, and had been training with his uncle Nguyan who was teaching him proper fighting techniques that his Father didn't know. His cloths were thick with sweat and he was taking a breather, while Wayne was reading under the tree out back. Father had slowly approached him, and smiled down at him.

"Every day you grow stronger don't you?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmmm." Megamind nodded his head proudly. "I'm going to be the best."

"You will be." Father said before taking a slow sip of his tea. They were silent for a moment, a comfortable silence that the two often found themselves sharing when Megamind wasn't training or studying. "You remember the story, of your great-grandfather?" he asked, suddenly.

"Great-grandfather Eustace? Yes... that was sad." he looked at his hands. "He was turned into a vampire."

"And what happened to him?" Father asked.

"Grandfather Simon had to destroy him." Megamind mumbled quietly. "It was the right thing to do... even if it hurt him."

"It did. Your Grandfather battled with his guilt over doing that for the rest of his life. But I want you to know something son. If I ever befall the same fate as my Great-grandfather, I don't want you to feel guilty if you have to kill me." Father said, not a man to ever minced his words. "You know how I feel towards the living undead, and it would be an insult to the Family if I were to become on. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Megamind had stared at his Father with wide, horrified eyes. "You want me to... to kill you?" he asked.

"If they get to me, and change me, yes. I might beg you otherwise, I might threaten you, tell you I'm content but a vampire looses their mind once they become one. Who they were before becomes nothing but a distant memory and the hunger for blood and death of humans overcomes them. Promise me, now, today, that if one day I turn to end my suffering." Father was kneeling in front of him now, hands on his shoulders tightly.

He had never seen such fire in his Father's eyes before. It scared him, and a part of him wanted to cry and pull away, say he could never do that to his Father but he knew such things were childish. They were fighting a battle, a war that had been ongoing ever since Hecate, mother of all Witches, had come to being. To think things would turn out all right was foolish.

"I promise Father." he had whispered.

"I promised Father." Megamind said in the here and now, hands still covering his face. "I made him a promise and not... not following through on it would be an insult..."

Minion watched Megamind quietly, before reaching over and closed the books in front of him. "Father asked many things from all of us. He asked me to watch you, just like your parents asked me to as well. You, Sir, are going to go rest. Properly. In your bed, and no more arguments, all right?" he asked.

Sighing, Megamind admitted defeat. "Yes. You're right."

"After all, you're no good to us exhausted." reminded Minion before gently taking hold of Megamind's hand and helped him to his feet.

"Guess I'm not..."

Another day, another busy work life. Bernard was once more the last man at the library. Mrs. Brown had already gone home, as had the temporary workers and cleaners. They had gotten a large shipment of audio tapes and books that needed labelling and lucky Bernard had been chosen to put the covers on the books, and barcode everything else. This meant working late, later than usual.

The library was eerie to some this late in the day. The long shadows seemed to follow him as he walked through the large building towards the entrance to lock up. He was almost to the door when the stench over powered his senses and he stood dead in his tracks.

Lifting his head he looked towards the doors, and he saw somebody standing outside in the fading sunlight. It was a tall man, wearing a trench coat and hat, and had an umbrella held up above his head despite there being no threat of rain. The man lifted his gaze, and he and Bernard stared at each other through the glass doors.

Bernard bared his teeth, and growled from the depths of his throat.

For being such a large man, the stranger moved fast. He was through the doors seconds later, his heavy jacket falling off of his shoulders as he burst through into the building. His hand was out stretched and gripping around Bernard's throat as he opened his mouth, baring viciously sharp fangs, and snarled right back.

The force sent the two men tumbling backwards, crashing through the newspaper stands, and landing against the sofas where so many people had sat that day.

Glasses knocked away Bernard lashed out with his hands, his nails making contact with flesh and he dragged his nails across the vampires face. It was enough to deter him, allowing Bernard a chance to give his attacker a swift kick in the nuts. The man choked and doubled over in pain, grasping at the family jewels. With the moment appearing Bernard rolled away from the vampire and grabbed the couch tightly in his hands. Taking a deep breath he hefted it up above his head, the two seater couch, and slammed it down on the vampires back.

He was going by smell and sounds alone now. Since as he had complained for eight years, despite becoming a werewolf his eyesight wasn't any better than it had been before that horrible blood transfusion.

The vampire staggered to his feet before swiping out again, and slashed Bernard's face with his own nails, cutting open wounds on Bernard's forehead, cheeks and nose. Bernard staggered back but quickly pushed himself forward again, going by smell since his sight was now blurred with his own blood, and grabbed the vampire by the shirt. Another surge of strength and power rushed through him and he threw the vampire with all of his might.

He heard the collision, the vampire slamming against a wall. But then the vampire spun, grasping at the walls, and climbed them like a bat. Bernard stepped away from the mess they had already created, growling as the blood stung his eyes.

"Not my library..." he shuddered as he turned and ran for the door. "NOT MY LIBRARY YOU BASTARD!" Bernard growled.

He leapt out into the streets, chest rising and falling. The sunlight was all but gone, the only light being offered to him was that from the street lights and car headlights as they drove past him on the main street. The scent of the vampire was almost upon him again, and despite knowing he might have a chance on more equal ground being blind in a battle was never a good thing.

Bernard ran, putting all of his strength into his legs and hoping on the disease would help keep him ahead of the demon at his heels. Car horns hailed, tires screeched, and the scents and smells of the city crashed over him. It was dizzying, maddening. People screamed insults as he ran by, some people were screaming about calling the cops, but he had no time to stop. The vampire was after him, and him alone.

Claws suddenly dug into his shoulders and Bernard let out a sharp, loud scream at the pain before being thrown into a wall. He felt the bricks smash against his shoulders and arm, and couldn't contain a sudden yelp as he fell badly onto one of his arms. But he was on his feet again as the vampire slammed into him, and Bernard saw stars as his head came in contact with the wall.

"Pathetic little flea infested DOG." the vampire snarled. "You thought you stood a chance against us? You're barking at a GOD."

"God... funny how... is Dog spelt... backwards..." Bernard strained as he felt those hands around his neck again. "You're scared."

"Who says I'm scared?" demanded the vampire.

"I can... smell it... on your stinking... breath..." the librarian felt dizzier now, and his hands gripped at the wrists of the vampire but his strength was fading.

"And it's the last thing you'll ever smell you pathetic mutt!" the vampire's breath really was rotten, and Bernard could smell blood.

"It's why you're... all coming at us... afraid... scared... scared of... disappoint... loos... ing... every... thing..." Bernard's voice trailed slowly into silence as his eyes began to slip shut.

"You're the one loosing everything." the vampire whispered. "Everything."

Bernard suddenly thought of Wayne, his knight in shining white armor, like he had always invisioned him. Though Bernard was not a weak man, the feeling of Wayne's arms around him, their hearts racing and breathing short, suddenly made him feel weak in ways not associated with his loss to the right of breathing.

He had been a help to him all these years; it was only his luck that not a few days after he had finally told the man how he felt about him, that it would end like this.

Just his luck.

He heard a hideous screaming shriek and everything fell into blackness and the world fell out of his mind, but Wayne was the last thing he saw before it was all lost to him.

To be continued


	15. Untrustworthy Internet

Megamind jolted awake, eyes wide, and sweat dribbling down his neck and forehead. He looked around the library, and winced as he felt the harsh pain on his neck that always greeted him when he woke up after falling asleep at his studies. Panting slightly, he reached behind and rubbed his hand against his neck. What time was it? Slowly, carefully, he turned around to see the grandfather clock to see it was almost seven o'clock in the evening.

"Nnngghhh..." he sighed and pressed his hands to the desk, and began to get to his feet.

"Ah, the prodigal son awakens!" Roxanne smiled as she walked into the library. Under one of her arms were a few books, having been plucked from the personal library hours before. "How are you going?" she asked.

"My neck's stiff." Megamind mumbled, before giving a faint smile. "But besides that, good..."

"Your neck?" she set the books down on the table besides his own. "Does that happen a lot?"

"Sometimes." he explained, not wanting to sound like a whiner and go on at lengths about the cricks in his neck that he got when he fell asleep at his desk. "It's nothing, really I-" Megamind was getting to his feet but next thing he knew her hands were on his shoulders and shoving him back, gently though, down into the chair. "What're you-"

"My uncle always made me give him shoulder massages when I went to visit him while I was growing up." she explained with a smile as she moved behind him, and placed her hands properly on his shoulders. "I got pretty good at it. Just relax."

Megamind felt like he couldn't, at first. He sat there, hands gripping at his legs as he felt her soft hands just gently resting against his shoulders. He was without his familiar leather tonight, Minion said he would be working on mending the tears to it today, so that left him wearing a simple striped t-shirt and jeans that he normally wore while studying. Without the security, and familiarity, of his leather he almost felt naked.

But then her hands began to pressurise against his shoulder, and his whole body began to slump under her knowing hands. "Ohhhhh my God..." he all but moaned as he began to tilt his head back slowly. "That feels so... good."

"Really?" Roxanne grinned to herself, and was grateful he was unable to see her face since she was certain it was turning slightly pink. "You're so stiff..." she mumbled.

"I know..." Megamind took a deep breath, and let his eyes slip shut.

"So do you always work so hard to the point of exhaustion, Megamind?" she asked softly.

"Yes." he admitted feebly.

"That can't be healthy for you, right?" Roxanne smirked.

"Yes..." Megamind purred as his toes curled within his slippers.

Roxanne worked at a particularly tough knot at his right shoulder, and she felt a sudden swell of courage. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Do you want to go out to dinner with me?" she asked.

"Yes."

She had to wonder if Megamind had even heard her question, and if he was just saying 'yes' because all of his answers before that had been the one word. Beneath her hands she felt him suddenly stiffen all over again, and she had to smile faintly. He just realized what he had said yes to, hadn't he?

Megamind turned his head around and the sound of his neck cracking filled the air. Roxanne released her grip on his shoulders and watched him carefully, and smiled again. "Yes?" she asked, slightly amused.

He stared at her with shock and awe, and those beautiful green eyes of his seemingly doubled in size.

"...y-yes." he confirmed again. "I'd like to... to go to dinner with you."

"Tonight?" Roxanne asked, "Unless it's too crazy for you..." maybe she was pushing it now. Tonight? Without any prior notification? What if he had people to hunt tonight?

"Uh. Um. Wait." he got to his feet quickly and moved across the floor, away from her. "I need to check to see if... if there's anything happening."

"I understand if you can't," she spoke up quickly, following him briskly across the floor.

"No, no. I. I think I need it. I want it." Megamind had suddenly wanted to say 'I need you' but he had enough wits about him to freeze the words in his impressive brain. He grabbed a book on the shelf and pulled on it, but not off of its shelf. It slowly began to ease back into its place, and a panel began to lift and reveal a screen.

"What...?" Roxanne asked.

"It's how we communicate. We can't trust the Internet, or mobile phones, not for real sensitive information like this." Megamind explained as he used the touch screen seamlessly. "Created by me." he added. "Once upon a time we did use other means of communication but this is much more secure."

"I see...' she joined him and gently leaned against his back, and watched the screen with interest.

The background was blue, and the writing was white. If anything, it looked like a simple online forum any person could use. There were various folders, with contacts, recent sightings, emergency news, and broadcasts. Megamind touched one folder and it spilled open over the screen. It was incredibly blank, save for one flashing red icon.

"Hmmm."

"A sighting?" Roxanne asked as he pressed the icon.

"A man was spotted in town..." Megamind read a codex Roxanne couldn't read. It was even in their own language, too? That was amazing. "Near... oh no. The library." he said quietly.

"The library?" Roxanne asked, eyes widening as Megamind quickly pulled out a mobile and pressed a button. "Bernard?" she asked quietly.

"Bernard." Megamind answered as he put the phone to his ear. He stood there, waiting, then frowned. "No answer."

"That's not good is it?" she asked quietly.

Megamind pressed another button, then groaned again. "Wayne isn't answering."

"That's worse!" Roxanne fretted.

"No, no. It's good." Megamind assured her. "He really can't be hurt at all by anything they throw at him. Maybe he's with Bernard. He could be, I mean. You know how they are..."

"That's... that's true." she paused as she saw the expression on Megaminds face. "Are you okay with that?"

"Huh?" he asked, lifting his head to her as he closed the programs down and the shelf closed over the screen again.

"Your brother and Bernard, dating. How do you feel about that?" she asked, feeling as though this was really important to know. To find out how he felt towards relationships not just in general, but in relation to a person like him.

The blue man looked at her for a moment before giving a small smile. "I'm... glad he found somebody who cares about him but... I gotta admit that I'm..." Megamind trailed off.

"You're...?" she asked.

Megamind answered with a quiet mumbled.

"Didn't hear that." Roxanne teased, smiling.

He tried again, but was still mumbling.

"Try again?" she asked.

"Jealous." he admitted quietly.

Roxanne hadn't expected that kind of answer. "You're jealous of him?" she asked.

"Well. Yeah I am. Have you seen my brother?" Megamind asked. "He's tall, handsome, strong, suave, confident, and he could have any person he wanted. He can go out, without a disguise, and people accept him. Me, to go out there, I have to change everything. Nobody would want to see me like that, nobody would want to date me. Who would?" he asked her.

She watched him carefully during his small rant, and she saw the pain there that he had probably kept hidden from everybody his entire life. Roxanne smiled faintly, before reaching out to him and brushed her hand against his cheek. "Well. Here I am, wanting to go out to a dinner with you. Is that good?" she asked. "Does that make you feel better?"

Megamind looked at her quietly, before his cheeks burned a soft lavender. "...more than you probably know." he admitted. Did she have any idea what her words did to him? She was a reporter, she knew how to watch people so he was sure she could see through his weak attempts at appearing cool and calm, as well as confident, to see him for what he really was.

"Good." she withdrew her hand and set both of her hands on her hips. "So, dinner. Do you want to go tonight?" she asked.

"Well there aren't any other alerts and if there's something really serious Minion can call me... but. Yes. I'd love to."

She smiled. "Brilliant."

Fate had a funny way of dealing a hand to people.

Wayne, once again a fully fledged fire fighter for the Metro City Fire Department had spent a busy day on the job. There had been a few call outs to fires that happened in kitchens when people weren't paying attention, or offices where power plugs were stacked full of appliances. It was all pretty standard stuff for him, and he liked being back in a job that made it feel as if he was really contributing.

Course, he was already contributing by being a spy for vampire hunters, but he couldn't go around and admit this sort of thing to his co-workers now could he?

He couldn't let drop around the water cooler that his little brother dressed up in leather and went out into the night to slay vampires and that his brand new boyfriend turned into a ferocious werewolf every full moon. If he did, he would have to swipe everyones memory and he never liked having to do that. Sometimes it was necessary, like when Megamind was spotted by a normal person who he wasn't actually rescuing from a vampire attack.

It had happened a fair few times, after all.

Thanks to his brothers ingenuity they would be alerted every time select phrases were uploaded to the Internet. Then they tracked the source, wiped their memory, and once again thanks to Megamind the trace on the Internet was done away with and lost to all. It really was a detailed process that had been going on for years.

But, in the end he was the guy to get a job and report unusual behaviour. So far today there hadn't been any fires that involved dead bodies so, thankfully, it had been a slow day. Having called it a day Wayne had waved his friends farewell and decided since it wasn't too late, to stop by the library to check in on Bernard. Also, quite possibly take him out for coffee or something before going home but not to ruin his appetite since naturally Minion would have made something delicious during the day.

When he reached the library, though, his heart froze. The doors were hanging open despite it being well past the time the library would be shut. His blood froze in his veins when he saw blood smearing against the glass doors, pushing from the outside. He ran inside as fast as he could and surveyed the destruction, the wrecked newspaper stands, the couch in pieces, and the blood that splattered the floor and the walls.

"Bernard." Wayne bent down and picked up the mans glasses that had been knocked away by something.

Now, Wayne was normally a very calm and collected, peace loving man. It was the way he had been brought up. But the realization that something had happened to his boyfriend in his absence, that he was blind, possibly seriously injured, ignited a flame within him that was rapidly growing out of control as he ran around the library in less than zero point two seconds. Bernard was no where to be seen, which meant he must be out in the streets somewhere.

The people, and traffic, outside were standing still as Wayne raced out into the streets. This is what he saw when he ran as quickly as he could possibly go, it was as if he was walking into a was museum. Looking around he knew he didn't have nearly enough energy to keep running around like this for long since it was a fast way to exhaust himself. So instead of relying on that entirely, he used his super sense of smell.

Bernard had a very particular smell that Wayne could recognize. He smelt of old books, Lemon Scent Power on his clothes, Winter Ice was his choice of aftershave, and his hair smelt of Volume Essence X for Men. Combine that with his own, natural musk that Wayne had gotten to know quite intimately, he picked out Bernard's scent almost instantly.

But what had him rush through the streets as fast as he could go was that he smelt blood.

Rounding a corner he made his way down the long back alley and came upon what he never hoped to see. A tall man, about the same height as himself, was standing victoriously over Bernard who was laying on his side. Bernard's lips were blue, and it looked as if all the life had been choked out of him.

Wayne began to feel time slowly unwind itself around him as he leaped at the vampire, and time well and truly got back to its normal pacing the second he came in contact with him.

The vampire screamed in alarm, and pain, as the mans fist came in contact with his chest. Ribs all but splintered, piercing his lungs and his muscle tissue, and the man went flying into a pile of trash cans and even flew straight through a fence. Wayne didn't have time to make this last, no matter how badly he wanted to make the monster pay for what he had done, but he had to tend to Bernard.

As he passed the fence Wayne easily snapped off a piece of wood and just as the vampire was beginning to get to his feet again the wood came slamming down into his chest, and was twisted again as Wayne pushed it almost entirely all the way through him. The vampires red eyes widened in pain as he looked into the cold, blue eyes of Wayne, before he slowly began to disintigrate before him.

Wayne didn't even bother to hang around to watch the vampire die, seconds later he was lifting Bernard's lifeless body into his arms.

"No, no, no no..." he said shakily as he stroked Bernard's blood stained face. "No, no you can't, not like this, not after everything...!" Wayne pleaded as he felt salty tears already rolling down his face. "Bernard, no, no... you can't die... we just... I love you please don't...!" Wayne's voice shook, and he had to force himself to try and calm down.

They needed to get to a doctor. But not the hospital. If Bernard could be brought back, and healed, then the hospital staff would surely realize his quick healing powers. And if he was in there when a full moon rose, then everyone inside was doomed. This called for the Family's medical expert who tended to the more severe injures, the one who had nursed his brother back to health after so many deadly and dangerous altercations.

He just prayed that Bernard wasn't dead.

"I feel kind of bad." Megamind said as he got into the Bentley with Roxanne later that same evening. "Minion said he had all this thing planned..."

"But he understands the importance for you to get away for a little while." Roxanne replied as she looked at herself quickly in the rear view mirror, and oh so subtly adjusted her breasts since the nice dress she was wearing had chosen to show off a little more than she had initially thought. Thankfully the cardigan she wore over it covered up most of the twins action.

Megamind mumbled something as he did his best not to stare, and gripped the wheel in his hands. Naturally, since they were going out for dinner, he was wearing another one of his disguises. This one was dressed in black trousers, a pale blue shirt with a matching black jacket, and thick black hair that could be compared to Bernard's. His same green eyes stared ahead as he pulled the car out of the drive way and out of the gates.

The car drive was relatively quiet, save for the radio that Roxanne turned on. At least it was, until they got into the city.

"So has Hal turned up yet?" Megamind asked as they began to drive through what was affectionately known as 'Dinner Drive' since it was littered with restaurants and places to find a good meal for a good price but almost impossible to find a decent park anywhere within walking distance.

"Not yet." Roxanne replied. "I... really want to think he's just sick."

"Has he done this before?" he asked, spotting a car beginning to pull out and sped up in order to get close to it and jump into the park before anyone else dare claim his precious park.

"Well. To be honest, yes." she said after a moments thought. "He's vanished for a few days and turned up saying he was too sick to call, but nobody really bought it..."

"So it might just be that happening again." Megamind offered as he grinned triumphantly and pulled neatly into the car park, aggravating somebody who had wanted the park too but had been far too slow. He put the Bentley into park and pulled the keys out, turned in his seat to face her, and grinned. "But enough about Hal." he said before thumbing to the world outside. "Shall we?" he asked.

Roxanne looked at his face carefully, and despite the appearance of normal peach coloured skin and the thick, black hair she could still see the Megamind she was slowly growing to know more about. He was so recognisable to her now, but she knew if he truly didn't want her to recognise him out in public that magical watch of his could turn him into anybody, and anything.

She just hoped he could gain enough confidence to become something very important to her, like she felt he wanted to as well.

Every journey began with a single step, they say. And when Megamind opened the door for her like he did, she couldn't help but feel as though stepping out into the cool night air was their first step on the way to something wonderful.

To be continued


	16. Learning more About You

The kinds of injuries that one sustains while being a vampire hunter were numerous, and strange. It wasn't every day that somebody was admitted to hospital with horrible open wounds caused by human nails that tore open flesh, after all. Broken limbs were one thing to handle, but injuries of a more 'mystical' genre were hard to explain away to medical professionals and whenever a hospital was an option it was turned down. Mainly since they had records that could be easily obtained, and if you could be traced, you weren't a good vampire hunter.

This meant that the Family had their own medical faction. While they too did battle against the threat of vampires their main concern was tending to other injured Family members. There was one stationed in every city where vampire activity was high, and Metro City was just one of those places.

Wayne could still remember meeting their doctor, all those years ago. She had been brought to the manor with her Mother and introduced to Father, and his two sons. How small and petite she was, big blue eyes and pale hair to match creamy skin. How she had blushed at seeing him, back when they were young, and how she had shied away from Megamind in his blue skin and large head.

They had met with her previous times, as well. When Megamind would be so horrendously injured they had no choice but to take him to be mended by her. Now she was a confident, mature young woman who worked diligently and knew the risks associated with her job. Seeing how she had to work in secret with medical equipment her house was 'off the charts', just like Wayne's family home. It was snuggled away in some woods to the South with a path only those who knew of it could find, and make their way through properly.

With Bernard still tightly held in his grasp Wayne had flown there as fast as lightning, if not faster, and was soon hammering away at her door. It only took two good slams of his fist for it to swing forward and land with a crunch on the floor.

"Lady?" he called into the house, stepping inside. "Lady!" Wayne called again.

Such an odd name to give a little girl, but there were stranger. Lady's house was similar to his own but had its own unique spins on things. She had more modern, abstract art on the walls and statues here or there. Her medical certificates and credentials hung proudly on the wall associated with a photograph of herself graduating Medical School. Of course it was all under a false name, a name that also appeared on birth certificates, drivers licenses, and pass ports. Only those in the family knew her as Lady. To everyone else, she was Lucy.

The young woman came hurrying down the stairs, her hair tied in two plaits that hung down the front of her chest. She was tugging on a dressing gown, tying it into a knot. "What's the situation?" she asked, having no time for pleasantries whenever somebody showed up calling her name like this. She didn't even flinch when she saw the sorry state of her patient with his face stained with blood like his shirt, the horrendous open wounds and how stiff and lifeless he looked. She'd seen worse.

"Bernard, I can't, I think they killed him, look at his face he isn't breathing I don't-I don't know what to do." Wayne explained shakily, uncomfortable and unfamiliar with this total feeling of helplessness. All of these powers at his disposal but he couldn't even save the man he loved.

Lady rushed up to him and pressed her fingers to Bernard's throat, before quickly tugging one of his lids open to stare at his eyes. "Bernard Dunning, yes. Werewolf. Bring him downstairs with me." she instructed and hurried to a grandfather clock near the door. She opened the chest of the clock and tugged on the swinging metronome twice, revealing a hidden passage way just beyond the clock. Even though not everyone in town knew of the house, if in the rare chance somebody did find it they couldn't just happily happen upon her small hospital down stairs. Holding the door open she watched Wayne rush through, before following after him and the door slid shut behind them.

"Tell me about your family." Megamind said as he and Roxanne sat across from each other at a round table in a restaurant they had both agreed upon.

"Hm?" Roxanne lifted her gaze to look at him.

"Please? You know about mine but I don't know a thing about yours. I want to even things up." he explained as he looked down at the menu he held in his hands and realized he was gripping it too harshly.

"Oh, sure. Of course, if you want to know." she smiled as her eyes drifted down the menu list of items available. "I have a mother and father, both still alive. Daddy worked in the military ever since he was old enough to enlist and is highly decorated. He wanted a whole heap of sons to carry on the family name buuuuuuut my Mother had other plans. She used to be a teacher, you see, and wanted to get back to teaching as soon as possible. But then I came around," Roxanne grinned, "And she chose to stay on at home."

"A stay at home Mom, then?" Megamind asked quietly.

"Pretty much. Then she got pregnant again when I was six and had my two sisters, Amanda and Juliet. Course now a days Amanda answers to Mandy and Juliet answers to Julie..." Roxanne went on to explain. "They kept us all pretty busy and I acted Mommy to the two of them as I grew up, taking care of them so when she could, Mom could return to work since our family needed the money what with three little girls to feed."

"What do they do now?" he asked, setting the menu down, listening intently.

"Mandy works in the stock market, of all things. She's hard as nails, all professional business suits, all day meetings and stuff like that." smiled Roxanne. "We don't see her a lot but when she does come around she's always larger than life, make no mistake."

"And Julie?"

"She's trying to get a band started up, of all things." Roxanne chuckled. "She plays bass guitar really well, and sings good too. They're working the underground scene right now but I hear tell one of their songs is going to be used in a commercial so that'll get their name out there more."

"So we've got a news reporter, a rock star, and a stock broker. Your parents must be very proud." he said with a small, odd smile on his face.

"Very proud. Since my Daddies name is Charlie he's always called us his Angels. Kinda silly." she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Not silly." Megamind smiled still. "I think it's... nice."

"...did your Father call you... anything?" Roxanne asked quietly.

"Only my name." he replied as he picked up his glass.

"Which is?"

"Eth-ahahhhhh!" Megamind pointed at her triumphantly, grinning like a loon. "Almost!"

"Consarn it!" Roxanne laughed, snapping her fingers. "So close!"

"Consarn it?" Megamind echoed, before snorting. "I didn't know I was seeing a grizzled old prospector."

The two burst out laughing together, totally oblivious to the looks they were getting from those around them. A waiter finally appeared to take their orders, and gave Megamind a good, long hard stare before walking away with their orders.

"Why'd he give you that look?" Roxanne wondered, eyes trailing the thin waiter.

"Cuz I saved him three years ago." Megamind shrugged as he picked up his drink.

"What?" she asked with eyes wide.

"Yeah. Sometimes a small slither of memory remains in their psyche and when they see me, in whatever disguise I was wearing at the time, they get a feeling of de ja vu. You know. They seen me before but don't remember where." Megamind explained simply as he grabbed his drink again. "It happens a lot."

"I see... that's amazing. How the human mind works, that is." Roxanne said. "Since I already know you're amazing."

"Careful you'll give me a big head. Er. Bigger. You... you know what I mean." he sagged faintly at his failed pun but smiled sheepishly anyway. Roxanne really was as wonderful as he thought she had been long before ever meeting her. Was it foolish of him to get his hopes up like this? She had asked him, after all, not the other way around. He had never been out on a meal with a girl like this before, and he wondered what the norm was for things like this. Did he have to pay for everything, or were they going to pay separately?

There were rules to obey when it came to things like this. Damn it, why hadn't Wayne answered his phone call when he rang him multiple times in the past hour before heading out with Roxanne? Was he that wrapped up in Bernard he didn't have any time for him anymore? If so, Megamind suddenly found a whole other reason to hold the werewolf in discontent.

Wayne hated the smell of hospitals.

This was something he had decided upon years ago when he had been still very young, and Father had experienced a particularly bad run in with a Berserker vampire. Even though it wasn't a real hospital but the same house he was now currently sitting in. Back then, his arm had almost been ripped clean out of his socket and had needed emergency surgery to ensure he didn't loose total feeling in the limb entirely.

He could still remember Megamind sitting besides him, holding his hand as tightly as his small blue one could while he held Minion close to his chest. The stink of the place, all the cleaning materials, and the closed in space had made Wayne feel sick. Couple that with the fact that their Father was in such a dangerous place, the smaller Wayne had cried the entire time he had been sitting outside waiting to hear word.

This time, however, he was alone sitting in almost the exact same chair he had waited in all those years back. Even though he offered to help, Lady had turned him away, informing him she and her parents would manage the situation. Bernard wasn't dead, but he was very much close to it. His throat had almost been clamped shut thanks to the vampire, and he had suffered several cracked ribs that threatened his poor lungs that were already strained from almost being choked.

So he waited outside, trying his best not to listen in on the voices that gently drifted through the white doors. A beeping machine represented Bernard's heart and he hated it; it was beeping too far and few between for his liking. He knew how strong Bernard's heart was, he had felt it hammering against his own body not a few nights ago. Why had this happened now? It was cruel.

"Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."

Father had told him and Megamind that once, reading it from a book while he and his sons had relaxed in the dining room after a busy day.

"What do you think the poet meant when he wrote that?" Father had asked.

"That, that to loose love is worse than not knowing what it's like to have it?" Megamind had guessed.

"That's right. And he's right." nodded their Father as he turned a page in the small red book he was reading.

"Do you miss Mother?" Wayne had asked, and he had heard Megamind stop breathing from his place across the room. Mother was never something you brought up if you could help it, especially in Megamind's presence.

"Yes." Father had answered softly. "I miss your Mother every day."

"Then why did she have to leave?" Megamind asked. "Didn't she love us?"

"She loved you both with all her heart." Father said. "But it was her love for you that let her leave."

"I don't understand." Wayne had sighed.

"She could not stand to see her sons possibly suffer with a life that I had given them. She was mad. I tried, Wayne, I really did to keep your Mother here but if you love something you have to let it go." Father explained softly.

"B-but it says that, that if you do that and it comes back it's really yours." Megamind had sniffed.

"And if it doesn't, it was never truly yours." Father finished the saying. "I loved your Mother, and she loved me, but our love wasn't as true as I would have liked. Her feelings were very strong, and she was very stubborn. She made her choice. That's all there is to it." Father had buried his nose in his book after that, and had remained silent the rest of the night.

His Father... Wayne could remember his Mother, but not as well as Megamind could. Unlike his brother, Wayne did not have a gifted memory. He remembered feelings more than her actual movements and voice. He remembered being out in a garden with her, the sun warm in the sky, and how she had smelt of roses. She had made him feel safe, and that's what mattered. But she had left; she had loved them too much and to see the two of them end up in pain or, worse still, in Bernard's state now would have killed her.

She had loved them too much.

Did he love Bernard too much, too fast? He didn't know. The man brought him that safe feeling again, one he had yearned for a long time despite the fact he was so strong and agile nobody could physically injure him. He needed Bernard, he needed that man in his life and to see him so lifeless in that alley way had terrified him at the prospect of being without him, having now had him. Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? Maybe one day he had believed that, now though... the idea of being without Bernard felt like torture.

Looking at his wrist watch he grumbled at the time. It was past midnight now... how had so much time passed without him knowing? He groaned and leaned back, pressing his head against the wall slightly.

The door to the operating room suddenly opened and Wayne was on his feet in a flash, watching as Lady walked around the door. She had changed into pale blue clothing and was tugging her rubber gloves off. Already her mask was hanging down around her neck. Lifting her gaze to look at him she gave him a small smile. "He's very lucky you're as fast as you are, Wayne." she said. "If you hadn't brought him to me when you did... I don't want to think about what could have happened."

"Is he all right?" Wayne asked.

"Not yet but he will be." Lady explained as she gestured to him to follow her down the hall. "Thankfully his werewolf disease also helps him heal incredibly quickly, and bare pain, better than most. If he were a normal person going without oxygen for so long could cause severe threats of brain damage. He's going to have one Hell of a headache and sore throat for a few days, but compared to the alternative I think he'll be grateful."

"You don't know Bernard very well... he's rarely grateful." Wayne heard himself say on a tired, but thankful, laugh. "But I think... you're right, this time..."

"Can I see him?" Wayne asked. "Please?"

"You won't get much of a conversation out of him." Lady pointed out. "He's resting now, but yes. You can."

He was showed through to a recovery room and felt his stomach empty out within him when he saw Bernard laying in a bed that seemed too big for him. The slashes to his face had been seen to, and his face was covered in small medical pieces of tape as well as some stitches. He had a drip in one of his arms, and a breathing apparatus was helping him breath and it covered up his nose and mouth. His face had some color to it, but it was gray... far better than the blue that Wayne had seen him with previously but still disheartening.

"Bernard." he said as he made his way across the room and touched the mans hand with his own.

Lady watched him carefully, before walking up to stand at the foot of Bernard's bed. "Are you two together?" she asked.

"Y... yes. We are." Wayne admitted.

She smiled. "That's so sweet. I thought so, judging by how worried you were. How long have you been seeing each other?" she asked.

"Three days." he replied weakly as he found a chair and sat down, but not before making sure it was as close to the bed as possible.

"Ouch." Lady winced before moving to him and rubbed his shoulder. "I'll bring you a blanket then, since I guess you'll be staying until he comes to?"

"Thanks Lady. This really means a lot to me." he thanked her, lifting a hand to cover her own with it.

The white haired girl grinned toothily at him. "I know. That's why I love my job. Try to get some rest yourself, though." she pointed out before leaving him with Bernard for a moment in order to fetch a blanket.

Wayne turned his attention to Bernard's face, and sighed before reaching out and gently touched the man's cheek. The vampire seemed to have done some real damage to his face, but wounds would heal, and scars would quickly fade for the werewolf. "Megamind's right." he whispered to the man. "A war is coming... and... I'm going to have to fight it, aren't I? If not for me then for you… And everyone else." Wayne shut his eyes tightly and let a shudder shake his massive, muscular frame. "And I just know you'll still want to fight, too... no matter what I'm going to tell you, to try and keep you safe... I don't want to have to see you like this again but I very well might have to..."

He fell quiet and kept stroking his thumb against Bernard's unmoving hand as Lady returned with a blanket and draped it over his shoulders. Once more he thanked her, and she nodded, dimmed the lights and left. Wayne knew he should call his brother, but he didn't want to bother him with something he could do nothing about because Minion had been right. He had been taking on a lot of responsibility, and it wasn't fair. He'd give his brother a break, tonight, and he'd tell him the next morning about what happened.

No doubt he'd blame himself for not being more diligent with vampire hunting, but he'd soon snap that kind of talk from his brother. Besides, he deserved some down time with the young lady who'd caught his eye years ago and only just now was able to get close to.

"-and that's when I created the watch. It makes getting around a lot easier." Megamind explained as he and Roxanne were once again in the blue Bentley, driving through the city streets. Their meal had been amazing, and filling, and in the end he had all but wrestled the woman into agreeing to allowing him the honor of paying for the food. She had grumbled of course, but deep down she felt touched that he felt that way so strongly about paying.

"So why did you save me without wearing it?" she asked.

"Unfortunately as I came around the corner to help you my wrist hit the wall." Megamind said as he looked at his left wrist where his watch sat happily, before looking back at the road ahead of him. In such a brief amount of time he had improved as a driver, even if he found Roxanne's backseat driving tips a little annoying... but he knew she meant well. "If I hadn't, the disguise would have stayed in place."

"Funny little thing, isn't it?" Roxanne asked as she tilted her head and grinned at him.

"My watch?" he asked.

"No, fate. So many what ifs, yet everything fell into the place it way it had. Now look at us." she grinned as they vanished into the thickness of the forest, out of sight and out of mind to the rest of the world. "I really wanted to hang out later with you but I need to get a goods night sleep though and it's a shame..."

"Meh. You and your work." Megamind scoffed.

"Hey come on, I need to wake up looking bright and beautiful for my job!" Roxanne grinned.

Megamind smirked as he turned down winding roads making lefts and rights through the trees. "Well... I really don't think a good night sleep would help."

"What?" Roxanne turned to look at him, confused at what he had just said.

He looked lost for a second, before quickly looking around him in a mild sign of panic. "I mean. I mean that, that you're already beautiful so I don't see why a good night sleep would help. Any. More. Yeah. Yes." he trailed off and felt a wave of relief at seeing the house grow into view through the trees.

Besides him, in her seat, Roxanne watched him carefully. The night really had been something the two of them needed, a chance to relax and not worry about vampires, and attacks, and other things like that. They had both learned so much about each other, but more importantly how they bounced off one another. Roxanne would never have guessed that one day she would find herself meshing so nicely against a man with blue skin who fought vampires for a living. He was just so... wonderful to her. He could be incredibly brave and heroic one moment, and the next he was a polite, sweet man who worried over every little thing that dealt to her.

For a while Roxanne had feared that her feelings towards him were a side affect from him saving her not once, but twice. If so she would have been no better than those women in those stupid, silly action movies that just spent the time crying out for help and fell into the arms of the hero. Those bimbos were not something Roxanne hoped to be, ever.

But having been living in his house for the past few days, getting to know him one on one like this... Roxanne realized what she felt wasn't just because of his acts of heroism. She really did like him, and she hoped he was feeling something back towards her since all the signs were pointing to yes.

"That's sweet." she smiled finally, wanting to reach over to him and touch his hand but he was driving, and she didn't want to startle him. "You're sweet."

"Sweet?" Megamind scoffed as he finally parked the car in the garage, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. "I don't think I'm that sweet."

"No, you are." Roxanne affirmed. "You don't see how great a guy you are, and I don't know how that's possible."

"Guess I'm just humble that way?" he asked, unbuckling his seat belt to turn so he was looking at her properly. "I don't know."

"You buy me dinner, we dance, you compliment me about everything about me and then you ask me why I think you're sweet?" she asked, huffing a breath. "How is that possible?"

Megamind gave a slight shrug, before looking down at his hands and his watch. He twisted the face of the watch, and his disguise vanished. "I just don't... have confidence in some places. I can fell a vampire, and take on a group of them as well as their human slaves, but when it comes to things like this I'm..." he trailed off and shrugged. "I've got no experience."

"Confidence, experience..." Roxanne sighed, leaning against her seat as she looked at him. "These are things you need to work on." she was quiet for a moment, before speaking softly. "I'm going to give you some confidence."

"You are?" Megamind asked, watching her as she sat up properly.

"Yes."

She leaned over, reaching for him. Her hands traced against his arms and gently guided him closer to her as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips softly to his own. Megamind's eyes had remained open all throughout, wide with shock, despite knowing what was coming. At least, he hoped he knew what was coming. Only when her lips finally brushed against his did his green eyes finally slip shut, and he shuddered beneath the tender kiss.

He kissed her back, as best he could, and he tried lifting his hands to touch her but she was slowly withdrawing from him. Her hands, however, remained on his arms. Opening his eyes he saw her face was flushed red, making her freckles stand out against her cheeks and nose. Megamind didn't have to wonder if his own cheeks were inflamed, he could feel it washing over his entire body.

"Feeling a little bit more confident?" she asked softly.

"Yeah I... think I am." Megamind replied quietly.

"Only think?" Roxanne smiled in the darkness of the garage. "That doesn't sound too confident."

"So I guess you better give me a little more confidence?" he asked coyly.

"Okay, that was lame." she smirked, and just before he could retaliate (or apologize, she really didn't care what it was) she was kissing him again, her hands now trailing up to gently place themselves around his shoulders and allowing him a chance to put his arms around her middle and tried to pull her closer. Between them the controls of the car stubbornly refused to get out of the way, making their second kiss a little restrained, but they made the most of it.

She knew they were probably getting a little more heated when his hands began grasping at her that certain way, and the sounds he was beginning to make. Roxanne hadn't been in a car in a situation like this since high school and all the memories of fumbling in the back seats of cars came rushing back. Hadn't she changed at all since those years with her first boyfriends? She had barely known what she was doing back then, much like how Megamind currently was. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?

Roxanne broke the kiss to breathe sharply, eyes still shut as she felt his lips trail against her jaw before pulling away entirely. Their eyes opened and adjusted to the darkness as they looked at each other in the car, and she could see his smile in the dim light that was filtering into the garage from the house. No doubt Minion was still awake, worrying about where they were. The last thing she wanted was the fish walking in on them in the midst of kissing in the car, since that too brought on memories of her Daddy doing the exact same thing back when she was sixteen. That boyfriend had fled and was never seen from again, but that tended to happen when your girlfriends' father was an army general who was seven feet tall and looked like he could break you with his thumb and fore finger.

Minion wouldn't scare her off, despite the obvious strength in his suit, but she would be all kinds of embarassed.

"We should get inside." Roxanne told him breathily. "All right? Minion will be worrying..." god, she sounded like a chicken saying that.

"You're right." Megamind conceded easily. He quickly kissed her cheek though before pulling away, and opened the car door before making his way around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. "...thank you, Roxanne, for tonight."

She laughed, unable to help it. "You're welcome." Roxanne smiled, rubbing at his goatee fondly. "Come on, before your Momma Fish worries himself to death." she pulled away from him and headed to the door that connected to the kitchen of the manor.

Megamind stood there against the car a moment, before he scowled. "Minion is not my Momma fish!" and then he hurried after her into the house where, of course, Minion was waiting and worrying himself half to death.

To be continued


	17. Hospital Drama

"Well you're certainly looking pleased this morning, Sir." Minion had said the next morning as he was carrying the washing from the laundry out to the washing line outside. "Despite Wayne still being a no-show?" added the fish, wondering just how Megamind could possibly look that pleased without any word from his brother since last night.

"Oh am I? I hadn't noticed." Megamind replied chirpily as he turned the page of the book he was reading.

"Are you sure nothing's happening?" asked the fish cautiously, narrowing a golden brown eye at his friend.

"Quite certain. No word from Wayne yet?" he asked, changing the subject like a pro. While Minion had a great memory, unlike some fish and that silly myth that goldfish only had a 3 second memory span, he could be easily distracted by questions and comments about other things. Only after a while did he realize what had happened, and would snap at Megamind about doing that to him.

"No! I'm really getting worried Sir, why don't you call him again?" Minion asked. "I know he can't get hurt but that doesn't mean we shouldn't not care about him!"

"Roxanne was right. You are a Momma fish..." Megamind muttered to himself as he pulled his mobile out of his pocket.

"I'm a what?" Minion asked, "I didn't quite hear that."

"Already dialing!" sung Megamind falsely as he was just about to press a button when his phone rang in his hand. "Or not?" he asked, and spotted the 'Wayne :D' on the phone. "It's Wayne!"

He heard the thud of a laundry basket landing on the floor, and Minion's heavy foot falls as he rushed to stand besides him as Megamind answered.

"Wayne, where are you?" Megamind didn't bother with pleasantries. "What's going on, Minion's been chewing his scales off worrying about you."

"I have not." Minion said as he fanned out his fins in effort to hide a missing scale or two.

Megamind listened to his brother on the phone, his eyes slowly growing wider. Bernard had been attacked last night at the library, seriously injured, almost died, and was now at Lady's house recovering. All this was happening while he was out with Roxanne. He turned his head to look up at Minion who was trying to listen in on the conversation, but couldn't hear that well. He nudged the fish away before turning back to the phone, eyes full of worry. "Do, do you want us to come around?" he asked, and nodded his head as he got the answer, and a few more requests from Wayne. "Yeah sure, of course. Sure yes. See you soon?" he hung up and sat there, eyes wide still.

"Morning you two!" Roxanne walked into the dining hall, just fastening her ear rings into place. "Sleep we-what's going on?" she saw the worried expressions on the two aliens.

"Bernard was attacked last night." Megamind said, causing both Minion and Roxanne to gasp in shock. "Wayne managed to get him to our medical professionals but it was pretty bad..." he looked down at the phone in his hand. "They almost choked him to death and... his face got slashed pretty bad."

"Oh my God." Roxanne whispered.

"He, he wants me to grab a few pajamas for Bernard to wear, socks and... and stuff like that. He'll be in there for a few more days..." Megamind got to his feet and set his book on the table.

"Let me help." Roxanne followed after him as he began to climb the stairs.

"Don't you have work?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I can use a sick day. This is important, he's my friend remember?" she asked back. "Please. I can't go to work not knowing how he is."

Megamind paused in his climbing of the stairs and smiled faintly at her. "All right. You won me over."

"Hah." she grinned and ran her fingertips just lightly against his arm as she walked around him to continue up the stairs, this time he followed her the rest of the way to Bernard and Wayne's room. Roxanne had never been inside Wayne's room, nor Megamind or Minion's for that point, so she didn't know what to expect. Would there be clothes everywhere? Bernard was a bit of a neat freak so his stuff would probably be put away somewhere already but what was Wayne like? Would her friend have to whip his new boyfriend into shape? "So which door...?" Roxanne asked.

He took over once again and approached a wooden door. "This one." he said as he pushed the door open to reveal a room about the same size as the guest room that Roxanne was staying in, so... fairly big. There was a chandelier hanging majestically from the ceiling, a large four poster bed was pushed up against a wall and the carpet was a rich red color while the wall paper was white and gold. It was an interesting color combination. All the furniture was an eggshell white, ranging from the drawers, large closet, and a writing table near a huge window that had white drapes open.

On one of the walls was a pin board that was covered in photographs, maps, and even bobby pins that had string leading from one to the other. It was how Wayne kept track of the vampire movements, it seemed, and she had to smile faintly when she saw pinned above it all was a photograph of Bernard that was a few years old. She could tell, because his glasses were square and he hadn't worn those square glasses on at least four years.

"Neat." Roxanne commented on the room since it really was. The only thing out of place was Bernard's suitcases, propped open on the floor near the writing table.

"Father raised two very organized sons." Megamind replied as he made his way over to the suitcases and knelt. "All right... pajamas... he said they were in the smaller suitcase..."

Roxanne spotted a duffle bag that was hanging on the back of the door and grabbed it. Luckily it was already empty, and she handed it to Megamind once she got over to him. "Put the things in here, it'll make moving them easier."

"Good idea." he mumbled as he found some clothes for Bernard and began shoving them into the duffle bag.

"Wayne likes the color white doesn't he?" Roxanne asked, glancing around the room.

"And I like black. You should see my room." Megamind grinned faintly as he rolled up some thick wooly socks.

"Can I?" she asked.

Megamind froze, before glancing up at her. For a moment she thought he was freezing because he found her question of seeing his room shocking but she soon realized he had frozen on account of something else. Seemed Bernard had packed a few 'special' things into his suitcase and had never anticipated them being rifled through by the alien. Bottles of... let's call them lotion were there, accompanied by a deep purple colored toy you didn't see for sale in the kids toy section of your local Wal-Mart.

Roxanne stared for a second before she burst into laughter, clapping her hands over her mouth in an effort to plug the peals of laughter escaping her. The look on Megamind's face, that total shock, vulgar horror, and disgust had just been perfect. Couple that with the fact Bernard had been ballsy enough to pack such things didn't help the matter either. She giggled, highly amused, while Megamind placed the closest thing he could get his hand on over the toy and lotion, not wanting to see them. His face was violet.

"I think we have everything he needs." Megamind said stiffly.

"I w-would hope so!" Roxanne replied somehow, around her laughter.

"How many hidden houses are there in Metro City?" Roxanne asked as Megamind parked the car at the medical house, not an hour later.

"Classified." Megamind replied smugly as he climbed out of the car and, once more, opened her door for her to help her out before grabbing the duffle bag and another smaller bag Minion had packed. It had some fruit in it for Bernard, as well as some leftovers from the dinner the night previous that had been Sheppard's pie with steamed vegetables.

"Oh come on you can tell me." she grinned as he led her up the drive way to the house.

Megamind eyed the splintered doorframe, knowing Wayne must have come hammering his way into this house. "One day."

"Like your name?" Roxanne smirked.

"That's extra special classified." Megamind muttered.

"Megamind!" the woman's voice surprised Roxanne and she glanced up to see a beautiful long haired woman running down the stairs. Her hair was plaited this morning yet it still came down past her curvy hips. She wore a simple dress with pascal colors on it that looked like a rainbow that had been melted somewhere before being painted onto the dress. "I haven't seen you in forever!" she cried as she threw her arms around the blue skinned man.

"Isn't that a good thing?" he asked with a laugh, wrapping an arm around her. "It's good to see you, Lady."

"Pleasure is all mine. Now take that stupid disguise off, it does nothing for you." Lady laughed as she pulled back. She then spotted Roxanne and raised an eyebrow. "Roxanne Ritchi?" she asked.

"Yes?" Roxanne asked, not sure she liked seeing this beautiful woman hanging off of Megamind like that.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you!" Lady made her way over to her, and took her hand into hers and shook it. "I am Lady Doppler."

"Lady Doppler?" she echoed.

"Lady is the Metro City Family's medical professional. Her and her parents, that is." Megamind explained. "She's the one I go to when I get wrecked."

"Lady." Roxanne echoed the name, suddenly remembering that Disney movie where the dogs name had been Lady.

"Lady." Lady confirmed before moving over to the grandfather clock and tugged on the metronome. "I'll show you through to where Wayne and Bernard are."

"How is Bernard? Is he awake yet?" Roxanne asked.

"Not yet, but he's been through a lot. But recovering nicely, as I thought he would." Lady explained as she showed them through the hidden doorway, down the stairs, and into the basement hospital. Roxanne observed the pristine white floors and walls, and glanced through doors they passed. There were operating rooms, consultancy rooms, one room full of medications and needles... "All the color's back to his face at least. Last night he looked like a statue, he was so gray."

"Poor guy." Megamind mumbled.

"Nothing I can't fix though. I'm the best at what I do." Lady grinned, winking at Megamind and causing Roxanne another flash of dislike. She walked on ahead, reaching for the doors and pushed through them first.

Roxanne took the opportunity to pull in close to Megamind and whispered. "She's very friendly to you."

"Well yeah she's my cousin." Megamind replied, voice normal volume, before walking into the recovery room and saw Bernard asleep in the bed, Wayne faithfully sitting besides him. "Wayne!" he said, pulling away from Roxanne and hurried up to his brother. "I'm so sorry." he said.

"Don't say that." Wayne smiled tiredly. "You don't apologize for this."

Megamind gave him a kicked puppy dog look before holding out the duffle bag. "Here's his clothes." he mumbled.

"Oh Bernard look at you." Roxanne whispered as she walked around to be on the other side of the bed, reaching out to gently stroke her fingers through the man's hair. "What happened exactly?" she asked.

"He must have been jumped in the library." Wayne explained quietly as he looked through the duffle bag. "The place had a bit of a mess but Bernard had the vampire follow him out into the streets."

Feeling his insides give a nasty squirm, Megamind pressed his hand to his chest. If he had only acted on that sighting, like he should have done, this would not have happened...

"I found him, all... beat up, half dead. I killed the vampire, brought him here and Lady did all the rest." Wayne said as he pulled out the rolled up socks. Standing up he moved to the foot of the bed and slowly tugged the blankets up to reveal Bernard's bare feet. As he worked the socks onto the mans feet he continued speaking. "He looked dead." his voice shook from the memory, Bernard's body cold and lifeless in his arms like that. "I'm sorry I didn't call you but I just... there wasn't anything any of us could do."

"You shouldn't have been alone." Megamind said.

"I needed to be here with him." Wayne explained, having placed Bernard's socks on his feet, he covered them with the blanket. "You can't be everywhere, Megamind. Remember?" he lifted his gaze to look at his brother. "You have too much responsibility for the people in this world but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take part in it yourself. Did you have fun, last night? Did you?" he asked.

Roxanne looked at Megamind.

"I did." he replied quietly. "I really, really did..."

"Then that's important." Wayne reached out and placed both of his hands on his brothers shoulders, smiling down at him. "You have to take care of yourself, not just everyone around you. All right?"

"...all right..." Megamind replied quietly.

"Ugh... God, did I come to during an OC episode...?"

Bernard's voice startled all of them and they all spun to look down at the man in the bed. His eyes were barely open, and he was slowly smacking his lips together.

"Bernard!" Wayne moved from Megamind to Bernard, taking his hand into his while the other caressed his face gently. "Oh thank God you're awake."

"Course I am..." Bernard mumbled. "Talking blobs everywhere..."

"Oh! Here, here." Roxanne looked through the bag and pulled out a spare pair of glasses and handed them to Wayne, who carefully slid them onto the man's face.

"A-ha. I see again. That's good..." sighed Bernard as he reached a hand and gripped at Wayne's wrist. "Hey you.."

"Hey. Hey..." Wayne smiled shakily. "You gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry..." Bernard smiled loosely, showing the pain medication was working since nobody ever seen the man smile like that before in his life. He then stretched carefully and growled in pain.

"Yeah you don't want to do that." Lady, having returned to the room, said as she walked up to him and pressed a hand to his forehead. "You have a few bruised ribs, your throat's going to be sore for a while too. Your wind pipe was almost crushed."

"I remember." Bernard grumbled.

"You're recovering nicely though." she added as she leaned against Wayne gently, resting her chin on his shoulder and smiled softly down at Bernard. "Tragically, you can thank that werewolf part of you for that. If you were just a normal guy, you'd be dead."

"Your bedside manner has much to be desired." Bernard grumbled.

"Well I'm not one to use overly complicated medical terminology. I think it's easier that way." Lady shrugged, patting Wayne's shoulder as she pushed away from him to check on the drip that was strung up besides the bed. "But the lycrapathy genes in your system is really helping your body recover the attack quicker, and mend at a faster pace. However much you hate being a werewolf, it's helped you this time around."

"Horay. Remind me to throw a party for it."

She laughed, and patted his shoulder gently. "Your humor's back already though. That's good."

"Can I get a bowl, please?" Roxanne asked. She held up the spare bag. "Minion sent some fruit, and a tray? Unless he can't eat-"

"I am eating that shepherds pie. Now." Bernard interrupted. "I can smell it from here. Give me." he reached with one of his hands.

Lady rolled her eyes. "Well fine. But only a little bit, no scarfing it like a dog all right?" she asked.

"Your level of humor amazes me." he replied flatly.

"Hey be nice to your doctor," Wayne grinned. "She might slip you something."

Bernard snorted, but smiled as he looked up at Wayne. Reaching up again he traced his hand against the man's cheek and jaw, and sighed. "I knew you were here." he said softly, gently. "Even if I wasn't all here I knew it... I could smell you, sense you. I even saw you, when you saved me even if I couldn't see. Thank you."

"Hey," Wayne replied softly as he covered Bernard's hand with his own before turning his head to press a kiss to the mans palm. "I can hardly call myself your boyfriend if I didn't do these things, could I?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Megamind had backed away from the group slightly. While it was great seeing Bernard already talking and joking with the group, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was his fault. He should have been more on his game, but how could he when he was spending so much of his down time studying and reading? What if this was only the first of many attacks? What if the next one to end up broken and injured was Minion, or worse, Roxanne?

He looked at the woman who had brought so much to his life already laughing and talking with her friend, showing all the concern she could for the injured librarian. Would she be capable of defending herself? She didn't have strength like Wayne, or a pain threshold and quick recovery like Bernard. Was he really an idiot for bringing her into this world? What if he was the weak link in a chain that brings an end to what the Family does by his actions? The very idea made him feel sick.

"Hey, blueberry head... come over here..." Bernard's voice cut through the fog of doubts and Megamind felt his feet move himself, and he was soon standing besides Wayne and looking down at Bernard. "I can smell your self doubting from here..."

"What? Don't be silly." Megamind replied quickly, glancing around. "I'm not thinking that."

"You so are." Wayne said.

"You shouldn't." Roxanne spoke up across from him. Megamind looked at her and she smiled softly. "This isn't your fault."

"This is a war." Wayne lifted his hand and placed it on Megamind's shoulder, pulling him close. "There's going to be casualties, injuries, but you can't blame yourself. They out number us so far, but that won't be for long. You've held Father's teachings all this time and you do a great job!"

"A marvelous job." Lady spoke up, and Roxanne turned her head to see the woman walk up besides her. Had she been here the entire time? "I remember seeing you in action four years ago when we were swarmed by that group of what, nine vampires?"

"And five humans." Megamind said feebly.

"You should have seen him," Lady turned to Roxanne. "He was brilliant. Those action movies that are all the rage now a days, fighting vampires and stuff like that? Their jaws would be on the floor if they saw him in action like I did that day. Have you seen him work?" she asked.

"Only twice..." Roxanne replied with a small, awkward smile.

"Isn't he great?" Lady asked.

"Oh believe me. I know he is." she glanced across at Megamind with a warm, knowing smile. "Twice he's saved me now, but the second time wasn't nearly as cut and clean."

"Oh?" the white haired woman looked at Megamind, curious.

"She came out swinging with a baseball bat and gave the changeling a concussion, I'm sure of it. She was in her dressing gown too." Megamind explained.

"That's impressive." Bernard mumbled. "Her Dad was an army man... didn't he teach all his girls to defend themselves...?" he asked.

"He did." Roxanne nodded. "He had us learn self defense and stuff like that."

"You never told me that." Megamind said, surprised.

"I didn't?" she asked, before blinking in surprise. "Huh. I guess I didn't."

Megamind stared at Roxanne blankly, before looking back down at Bernard. "Anything else you know about her she might not have told me?" he asked.

"Ah ah... that's going against the friend pact. No spilling beans of each other's deep dark secrets to other people." Bernard smiled faintly before shutting his eyes and yawned. When he yawned his mouth opened wide, bared his teeth and rolled his tongue much like a dog would.

"That's a sign he needs to sleep now." Lady said as she picked up the meal Megamind and Roxanne had brought. "He can have this later once he has a bit more strength."

"Can I still stay?" Wayne asked.

"You can if you want, I won't stop you." she smiled back at him and winked.

"Hey he's taken." Bernard piped up.

"He's my cousin." she replied.

"Adopted." Bernard shot back.

"It'd still be weird and besides, he's kind of on the other team aren't you Wayne?" Lady asked with a laugh, before rubbing his shoulder. "I tease. I'm sorry. But you two," she turned to Roxanne and Megamind. "Surely you have things to do. Let Bernard get his rest and Wayne can stay with him. You can all visit later."

Wishing Bernard farewell and a quick recovery Megamind and Roxanne were shown out.

Like Lady had said, they had things to do. She hugged and kissed Megamind before he left and waved goodbye to Roxanne before shutting the shaky door behind them. As the two of them walked down the stairs, Roxanne looked at Megamind who was already putting his disguise back on. "She seems... friendly." she commented.

"She's very friendly. I'm not that fond of it myself." Megamind admitted as he approached the car.

"So you'd object if I got as close to you as she did?" Roxanne asked, taking a step closer towards him, smiling playfully.

"Now you, that's a different story." he smiled, pausing to look at her with a grin.

"Oh yes?" she arched a brow.

"Very much yes. And why didn't you tell me you had self defense training?" he asked, setting a hand on his hip.

"Honestly forgot. Daddy wanted to ensure that his girls knew how to fight off attackers properly, since he said we were so beautiful any man would be out of his mind to not want us. But if they didn't understand the word 'no' we had to make sure he got the understanding. Mainly with our fists and feet. Or using what's in reach, hence why I like to keep a baseball bat in my room and mace in my back. Stun em, over power them, and run. That's the way I do it." Roxanne explained as she leaned against the Bentley.

"So why didn't you fight when that guy attacked you?" Megamind asked.

"I was pretty drunk, and believe me that is the first and last time that kind of thing will ever happen." she looked serious suddenly, eyes narrowing.

Megamind stared at her for a moment, before looking away momentarily. "Roxanne?" his voice was soft, quiet.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What would you say if... I offered to... to teach you a little bit more about fighting off attackers? Namely the ones with sharp teeth and cold skin?" Megamind asked.

"I would ask where do I sign up!" Roxanne replied brightly, "Will you? Would you? Could you?" she asked.

He was impressed by her enthusiasm, and couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, yes, and yes. As the fighter of my family I get to choose who I teach my knowledge to. Normally its to children but... well. Seeing how I don't think I'm ever going to have any, and neither is Wayne..."

Roxanne found that statement a little surprising. Megamind believed he would never have children? Well, considering his alien genetics and DNA, would he even be compatible with a human being? He was close enough in appearance, but she still had no idea what his reproductive organs looked like. Were they human in appearance, or something else like... tentacles, or maybe his organs looked female like? It was all too confusing to think about, and the realization she was making speculations about his junk made her blush faintly. She pushed the thoughts away, and concentrated on listening to what he was saying.

"I honestly believe you might be the one I'm meant to teach things to. You've been welcomed into this family seamlessly, you get along with everyone and I know you can look at a vampire without freaking out like most women would. Now, training won't be easy, it'll be hard, the training is rough and you'll be taught all manner of fighting styles and how to handle weaponry but I really think you have the determination to really-"

Megamind suddenly found Roxanne's arms around his shoulders, her body pressing tightly against his own, and her lips against his. For the third time in ten hours he was being kissed by the woman and he still felt the same thrill he had felt the first time in his car. His arms clung to her tightly as he kissed her back, uncaring if anyone inside the house may see them. Whatever this was, whatever it was that he had become to her, it was wonderful and amazing and he didn't want it to stop.

She broke the kiss, breath hot against his cheek, and he was sure his lips were swelling slightly.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes..." Roxanne whispered against his skin as she rested her head against his. "I want to know everything from you, about you, everything..."

"Now that's a lot..." he found his voice somewhere and it came out as a squeak.

"I know." she pulled back slightly but not entirely, his hands around her lower back kind of made it hard to do so. But in all honesty she didn't want to pull away from him either. "You'll discover I'm a fast learner."

"I believe you." Megamind nodded his head. "I really do."

Roxanne smiled at him again, and he felt his heart melt at the very sight of it. She looked so happy, so pleased to being drawn into his life and his world. Was it foolish to consider asking her? He didn't know. She seemed to want to do it, and that desire and yearning to learn, to help, to fight alongside him was quite possibly the most romantic thing he had ever encountered in his life. He kissed her again, and she did not pull away. Her hands were soft against the back of his head and back, her body warm and pressing against his in ways he never would have dreamed of, and her lips... oh her lips. He couldn't put words to describe them, he was no poet. He was a fighter.

The kiss ended and she laughed breathlessly, resting her forehead against his own.

"You're getting... very good at this..." Roxanne whispered.

"Thanks. I'm a fast learner too."

"Look at that, we actually got some kinda message from the guy!"

Elliott looked up as he saw the floor manager, Ian, sit back in surprise from his computer.

"From who?" he asked, walking over to the older man.

"Hal Stewart." Ian said as he looked at the e-mail. "Seems there's been a medical emergency in his family, he apologizes for not contact us before but he was too wrapped up with everything. His dad had a heart attack and he had to head out to see him... man. Looks like he might not even make it."

"That's horrible. Poor Hal." Elliott said on principle, even if he could barely stand the guy himself.

"Yeah... says he doesn't know how long he'll be gone but he knows he's got the leave to use so he's going to use it." Ian sighed and shook his head. "Roxanne will need to get herself a new cameraman while he's gone."

"I don't think she'll be too shattered over that." Elliott chuckled.

"Yeah you're probably right." Ian said as he read over the e-mail again.

To be continued


	18. Educating Roxanne Ritchi

"So it is with a sorry heart that this is my last column for this newspaper. My years writing here have brought me so much experience and I thank each and every one of you for your support through the years. For those of you who still want to read up with my opinions on recent subjects, feel free to read my blog that I update on an almost daily basis. Thank you for the memories, all my love, Roxanne Ritchi."

Lowering the newspaper, Minion clucked his tongue. "Well, that was something! To think she'd give up her column in order to dedicate more time to training..."

"It shows dedication." Megamind said as he ate his breakfast, reading over yet another old book he held in gloved hands.

"I just hope you're not asking too much of her, Sir." Minion said cautiously, "I know she's very excited, and has shown advancement already and it's only been a week but..."

"No buts, Minion." he lifted his gaze to look at Minion. "She knows what she's doing. If she wanted me to go easier on her, she'd tell me. I told her that when we started this would be hard, but I'd gladly slow things down if she so desired. But with the war coming..." Megamind looked down at the book in his hand again solemnly. "We don't have time to take things slowly."

"Speaking of slowly," Minion said with a small grin, "You two have certainly gotten closer."

Megamind felt his face flush and coughed discreetly away from the book in his hand. "Minion really."

"No, I'm just saying! I'm so happy for you, Sir. Between you and Wayne this house hasn't seen so much love in years, I'm sure of it. The atmosphere in here is so much brighter, warmer, and it's great!" Minion smiled at his blue friend, who was slowly turning purple with every passing syllable from his mouth.

"Oh for..." Megamind flushed. "Yes, yes. I'm sure we're all adorable to you."

"Very." Minion grinned. "And the fact Mr. Dunning is already home and almost fully recovered is a good thing too."

"He still gets on my nerves." the alien muttered.

"Why?" Minion lowered the newspaper, looking concerned. "Why don't you like Mr. Dunning, Sir? Is it because he's a werewolf?"

"What? No. No, not anymore..." Megamind replied quietly as he set his book down on the table, staring at the incantations written in ancient language only scholars and enthusiasts knew. "At first I didn't trust him because of what he was. He constantly got on my nerves, all those snarky comments at me made me feel as though he'd accidentally not really lock his cage one night and come barging out to tear me to pieces because of what I was." he lifted his gaze to Minion. "Then I learned I just didn't like him as a person. He's so dry and scathing sometimes; totally incapable of taking anything seriously and now he's up there sleeping in the same bed as my brother. I just can't help but feel he's playing us for something."

Minion sighed. "Sir, Mr. Dunning isn't like that at all. He isn't out to get you in any way! That's just how he is, it's how he handles what life hands to him. It's nothing against you personally, and he really does love Wayne. Can't you see that?"

Megamind looked down at the book and mumbled something.

"What was that?" Minion asked, tilting his fish body a little in the water.

Once more, Megamind mumbled.

"Didn't quite hear that."

"I'm creeped out that they're doing it. All right?" Megamind strained the words out quietly as if trying to push cement through a drainer.

"Oh!" Minion replied.

"It just. I don't. I don't know." he looked away and pushed a hand against the side of his head. "After what I saw in Bernard's bag you just don't forget stuff like that."

"Oh Sir you shouldn't be like that! It's natural, it's what happens when you love somebody." Minion said. "You shouldn't feel ashamed about what you have, you know that. Ms. Ritchi is very lucky to have you caring for her the way you do."

"What if she wants me to do it?" Megamind asked, lifting his head to now stare at his fish with wide eyes. "What if, what if she wants to do to me the kinds of things..."

"If she does, I'm sure she'll talk to you about it and wouldn't force it upon you. It has to be a mutual agreement, and a loving one at that. Do you think you're ready for something like that?" Minion asked.

"I want to say that I do but..." he trailed off. "...yet on the other hand any day the first wave might come and then we might lose each other. I have to face facts I don't really have time to be scared but... god Minion it's so hard. I see her training, those sport bra things and her tight pants and the way her body just moves and I just want to-" Megamind stopped himself, and pressed his hands over his mouth and bent over forward, shutting his eyes.

Minion sighed before reaching over and rubbed his hand against Megamind's back. "When it happens, it happens, Sir. You shouldn't rush it, but you shouldn't feel ashamed for those feelings either! When it does happen, Sir, it will be very special for the two of you. Don't feel pressured just because of what Wayne is doing. You two are very different, if just as much as you are alike. All right?"

"You always know what to say Minion. How do you do it?" Megamind asked, lifting his head slowly to look up at the fish.

"Instinct." grinned the fish.

"Morning you two!" Roxanne called as she came walking into the dining hall wearing a sweat shirt and those figure hugging leggings that cut off at the knees. "Wow. What time do you get up?" she asked with a smile of Megamind as she walked up to him and gave him a morning kiss to the chin.

"Around five?" he asked.

"You're crazy." she laughed before leaning against the table. "Ready for our morning routine then?" Roxanne asked.

"Do you think I'm wearing this work out gear for no reason?" he asked with a smirk before closing the book and got to his feet. "Shall we?" he asked.

"We shall." Roxanne nodded.

Minion watched the two leave out the back door before sighing to himself and picked up the book Megamind had been reading. He couldn't read the ancient words on the pages but the images of a etchings of a robed man holding a flaming sword while fleeing vampires flew in all directions told him this was important. Carrying it around to the library he jumped seeing somebody else was already up. "Oh Mr. Dunning, good morning!"

"Morning Minion." Bernard greeted as he continued looking at the books that were on display on the shelf. While he had recovered from his internal injuries fairly quickly, the damage done by the vampires claws to his face hadn't been so quick to heal. Running all but diagonally across from his forehead to just under his nose was the fading scars left by the claws. Wayne said it made him look dashing and roughish, while Bernard felt it just looked like he'd fallen on a rake. "What's that you got?" he asked, glancing at the book in the robotic hands.

"I couldn't tell you if I wanted to. I can't read it." Minion replied as he held up the book.

Bernard, being a knowledgeable man when it came to books, approached to gently take it from the fish. The leather binding was old and torn in a few places while the pages themselves were turning that old, ancient orange hue that paper did eventually. "I'd say... printed around early 1800's." he mumbled, lifting the book and gave it an actual sniff. "Oh yeah. The work done to the spine tells me it came from Europe, around Scandinavia of all places." he opened the book gently, and turned a page by using just the cuff of his shirt since he didn't trust his hands to not leave an oil print somewhere. "I've always wondered where you guys get these books."

"Family." Minion shrugged. "They've all got to do with the occult in some way, shape or form and come from all over." he reached and took the book carefully from Bernard, who had just been looking at a picture that looked like a wavy table drawn on a door. "Now let me put this back."

"Course, course." Bernard walked away, giving the fish room to move as he continued to take in the library. He approached a window and stared out at the world outside, the early morning sun filtering through thick clouds that continued to roll in from the North. The city was in the distance, shining and gleaming as always. Hearing grunts, he turned his gaze down to the garden and saw Roxanne and Megamind outside.

They were working on improving Roxanne's footwork it seemed. Megamind would come at her and she'd have to deflect his attack without leaving her feet standing awkwardly. A bad stance would mean she could be easily thrown off if the vampire was keen enough to do so, leaving her open for an attack. Bernard watched as Megamind swiped his hands at her, mimicking a vampire on high defense, and she quickly took one step back before lashing back at him, trying to kick him away. But he always caught her foot with one of his hands before throwing her back. Bernard smirked, and leaned against the window.

"Say what you want about blueberry head, he's good at what he does." he mumbled.

"Hm?" Minion, having just heard him, turned.

"Him. He knows what he's doing doesn't he?" Bernard asked.

Minion walked up to watch the two down on the grass. Roxanne once again swept her leg out to knock Megamind over but he easily jumped to avoid the attack, spun, and almost brought his foot down on her head or shoulder but he had good self control, and stopped just short of hitting her.

"He might even stand a chance against me if I was suffering from a Moon cycle." commented the man, watching them carefully.

"If he was coming up against somebody like you, he would work with returning your attacks on you. That's what he does when enemies are bigger than he is... and a lot of them are." Minion mumbled. "Sometimes I think he forgets how dangerous what he does is..."

"Now!" Megamind dodged Roxanne's attack. "Name the types you know, a small explanation about them and how to defeat them."

"Vampire." Roxanne shot back as her fist met his hand and he shoved her back, but thanks to her better footing she didn't fall over. "They're incapable of walking into the sunlight but can walk on holy ground and defeated by stake through the heart. Also weak against Holy water and the cross."

"Next." Megamind swung his foot at her feet and she jumped, avoiding it.

"Vampire Nuance! Capable of walking in the sunlight, walking on holy ground, they look and act like anyone normal. They're the type to hypnotize people into loving them, luring them into their world, then feasting on them after playing with them for a while. They die by a stake through the heart!" once more the young woman tried to hit him but, as usual, he avoided it at the last second. Megamind was very skilled, this was something she had always know, but through her training with him had she finally been able to see just how skilled he was.

"Changeling. Capable of walking in the sun, and can transform from their human form into only one kind of animal. This can be a large bat, or a wolf. can be taken down by a stake through the heart when in human form, but can be ripped apart when in their animal forms." Roxanne retaliated again, but as always Megamind dodged her and would return with twice the force. This was him going easy on her, too.

"And?" he asked.

"Burn the body parts if torn apart."

"Next!" sung Megamind as he jumped away from her suddenly, turning the practice into a sudden race.

"Next we have the Voyeur!" she called back as she raced after him, sweat already running down her forehead, neck and back. "Incapable of going into the sunlight fully, spends most of their time watching people and making calculated decisions as to who to hunt. Almost impossible to defeat when in their multiple bat forms but, but... but they're one of the types who are respectful fighters and will face off if given the chance. They're harder to defeat if there's more than one."

"Good, good." Megamind nodded as he ran around a large tree.

"They're another breed that has to be torn apart and burned." she added. "Then there's the Berserker, one of the most dangerous vampires because it no longer knows fear or planning. It will attack, keep attacking, and won't stop, even if severely injured."

"And how do we kill a Berserker?" asked Megamind.

"Chop off its head, stake its heart, disembowel it, amputate its limbs, burn everything to ashes, dump the ashes in Holy Water and then boil the water to nothing." Roxanne said.

"Then?"

"Then... then... I... I don't...?" Roxanne asked.

"You bury what you boiled the water in under a tree in the woods." Megamind reminded her.

"Right..."

"There are more, though." Megamind informed her as they came to a stop, both of them needing a breather. Roxanne all but collapsed onto the grass, breathing hard. "Others more dangerous than the Berserker, too..."

"Oh joy?" Roxanne asked shakily, but still smiling.

Megamind laughed before stretching his legs as he talked. "Yeah, great joy. Mist is a new type you don't know about, and they're very, very hard to defeat."

"Mist..." Roxanne echoed.

"They can literally fade into nothing and move around you. They become air, slashing at you, but the good thing is they can't do it permanently. They need to stop, take form, and take up attacking again." Megamind explained. "If you manage to actually grab a Mist vampire before it becomes air you're already on a good start. It can't change if anything other than themselves are attached to them, downside is you're now grabbing onto a vampire who could rip your throat open with its teeth or slice you open with a weapon. Or its very own claws."

"So you need to get close to kill it, but you're putting yourself in great danger." Roxanne mumbled.

"Great danger. As soon as you grab it, make sure you have a small weapon handy. These are an interesting type, they die by a strike to the heart but only by silver. That's why I always keep my silver dagger on me at all times in case I encounter one." Megamind explained.

"What do you do if it be comes air, though?" she asked. "What have you done?"

"I wait. You can't hurt them when they're like that, sadly. You just have to put up with the attacks, protect your throat and face, and wait until it stops." he said before finally sitting down for himself, stretching his arms up above his head as he did. "They're very rare though, and I've only run into three in my entire life."

"Wow. You know when I was little," Roxanne said as she got to her feet. "I used to think there was only one kind of vampire, and that was guys like Dracula. You know, suave, seductive, turn into an animal... things like that. I never would have thought they could be so different."

Megamind smiled faintly as he got to his feet and began heading back towards the house. "Dracula. Have you read the original?" he asked.

"Only a few times back in high school and college." Roxanne replied, falling into step besides him.

"What do you think of it?"

"Ahh... it's all right. Not brilliant but it's certainly creepy in some places. Like when he brought his wives that baby... that gave me shivers." she said, allowing a shiver run over her at the idea of women feeding happily on a poor baby. "Good story though."

Megamind snorted.

"What?" Roxanne asked.

"What?" he asked back.

"What was that for?" Roxanne asked.

"Story." Megamind replied with a laugh as he pushed the door open. "That you think it's just a story written by a man."

"...it isn't?" she asked.

"No. Dracula is the documented file regarding the Father of all vampires, Dracula. Bram Stocker was a man who once worked for the Family's faction in Europe. We thought we could trust him but be betrayed us, stole the document, and had it printed as a 'novel' for the world to see." Megamind explained as he walked her through the house, stopping by a door Roxanne hadn't been through.

"Wait. So, so Dracula is based on real events? The ship wreck? The wolf? The.. everything?" she asked.

"Everything."

"And what do you mean Father of all Vampires? Are you... just tell me what you're saying." Roxanne folded her arms.

Megamind turned to the door and pressed his palm against the handle, turned it, and opened the door. Inside the room the walls were red, the carpets were red, wood used inside was from redwoods... it was a beautifully decorated room, to be sure. But it didn't feel warm, or inviting. There were shelves on the wall, lined with paperwork and documents that looked far older than anything Roxanne had seen before.

"Dracula has been an enemy of the human race, and the Family, since time immortal." Megamind explained as he approached a painting on the wall. It showed a pale, white, hideously ugly creature feasting on a man who was still screaming in agony. If Roxanne knew her artists as well as she thought, she would recognize a Da Vinci. "He was called out into the world by man and has been here ever since. Every one hundred and fifty so years (one time it took him two hundred years to recover) he gathers his children, those he himself has fathered, and attacks the world."

"I've never heard of something like this..." Roxanne said.

"And with good purpose!" Megamind said back. "The Family risk everything to train, to learn, to fight, to protect. We keep the war out of sight, out of mind."

"But I thought they killed Dracula. He dies!" Roxanne lifted her gaze to the horrible painting, all but hearing the scream from the poor man being eaten alive.

"He can not die." Megamind replied quietly. "Dracula is an immortal demon from the blackest pit of the universe. We can stake him, burn him, chop him up, rip him apart, submerge him in water blessed by the Pope himself and he would certainly make you think he's dead... but." the alien shook his head. "He does not die. He recovers over time, over a long, painfully long time. And fighting him is not easy at all. He has traits from all breeds of vampires. Dracula can become a wolf, a bat, a swarm of bats, mist, and he can be as strong as ten Berserkers and as crafty as a Vuoyer. He loves to play with people, to have women fall for him, toys with their souls before he consumes. Dracula is everything that vampirism is, and his children are powered by his strength and tenacity."

"He's almost back isn't he?" she asked quietly. "That's why there's a war coming. Why you've talked about children. I thought you just meant... meant actual children or, or any person a vampire's turned but you mean... wait. A father? Who's his wife, who... who would-oh god don't tell me." Roxanne felt sick now.

"Oh no. The Children's mother is a very willing participant in the... ehhh. Creating." Megamind shuddered.

"Who is she then? Anyone?" Roxanne asked.

Megamind moved to another wall, one in which Roxanne hadn't been looking at since she'd been so transfixed on the image of, who she could only guess, was Dracula eating a man. He held his hand up and gestured to a second painting and Roxanne looked at the image and felt an inwards twist in her stomach at seeing it. It was of a woman, incredibly beautiful yet hideously ugly at the same time. Her eyes were soulless, empty, yet she could feel an anger emanating from the depths of the woman's soul. Her skin was a sickly green color, and she had a snake draped around her neck. She was sitting on what looked like a pile of dead bodies, though it was hard to tell since they were all so rotted it was impossible to tell what was human and what wasn't.

"Her?" Roxanne asked.

"Hecate. Mother of all Witches." Megamind explained. "Her powers over the years have weakened her but her connection to vampires remains strong and steadfast thanks to her 'marriage', to coin a better term, to Dracula. When she gives birth to his children, they're a mix of witch and vampire and very, very hard to kill. They're the ones who... took Father from us."

"So they're already here..." Roxanne whispered quietly.

"Which means their Father is growing stronger. Every night I'm hearing words of attacks in the world, strength growing, numbers increasing. Nobody knows where this war will happen but when it does, we have to answer the call." Megamind said. "Which is why, when it does come... and I go to war, I want you to stay here."

"What?" asked Roxanne, turning her attention from the painting to him. "Why?"

"Because this city needs a fighter. We can't leave her open to attack and if I die, you're here to carry on the Family's job. You and Wayne, since I know Wayne will survive. He's indestructible. I, on the other hand, am not."

Roxanne glared at him, angered that he would ask such a thing of her but, at the same time, she truly did understand why. She had only been training for a week and a half now, and he had been doing this his entire life. No way was she ready to run into a war, even if she did nothing but train from now until whenever that was. Megamind had an entire life of training behind him and knew what he was doing better than she did. Yet the idea of waving him off, seeing him leave her and knowing she might never see him again...

His arms were around her suddenly, and she felt her knees buckle beneath her as they both ended up sitting on the floor, holding tightly onto one another.

"This is why Mother left." Megamind whispered quietly. "She couldn't stand it. So... so Father erased her memories of us, and she awoke in a world without vampires, without a husband, and without children. I know because... because I remember. I remember their talking, and I shouldn't have but I snuck down to watch them argue. Mother wouldn't do it, she couldn't stay. Father told her, it meant taking away everything she knew of them and she... she said she'd be happier. He loved her but he had to let her go, and removed all memory of him from her life. I hated him for it, and I hated her for leaving." he pulled back to look down at her, his green eyes searching her face. "Before now, before you, I couldn't understand how he could do such a thing but... I have to ask you the same thing."

"If, if I want to forget?" Roxanne asked.

He nodded.

"I don't." she said quietly, but firmly. Her hands dug against his body. "I couldn't. Not now, not ever." Roxanne pressed her face into his neck, shutting her eyes tightly. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to turn tail and run now."

Megamind can't help but give a small, awkward laugh. Pressing his lips to her hair he shuts his eyes too, and allows a relieved shudder ripple through his body. "I was so afraid you'd want to."

"Why would I want to? I... I love you." Roxanne admitted quietly, in the horribly ugly red room that served no purpose other than offering every piece of information on fighting with Dracula himself, and even Hecate herself.

The word love was a new one for him to process. While they had certainly grown closer as a couple over the past week and a half, to hear her say the word love like that floored him greater than any Berserker to his chest. His heart suddenly welled with affection and admiration for the woman in his arms, the woman who loved him and didn't want to leave him despite knowing the great threat looming against them. This is what it was like, wasn't it? Falling in love and finding that one person who was meant just for you. For all his life he thought he would never know this joy, this great unending joy that was washing over him.

He pulled back to look at her, his expression soft and warm. "I love you." Megamind whispered, lifting a hand to rub his thumb against her cheek. "I love you with all my heart."

"Oh good...!" Roxanne choked out emotionally, body shivering. "I was almost scared I'd said the wrong thing..."

"You can never say the wrong thing. You're too smart for that." Megamind replied with a smile before giving her a long, lasting kiss. He felt her hands grip at him desperately, her body shudders against his own, and the electricity that sparked between them was greater than any of the machines he would tinker with in his spare time. Roxanne deepened the kiss first; opening her mouth beneath his and their tongues became all but entwined as their passion continued to swell. Faces flushed, hands grasping and bodies alight Megamind was all but ready to succumb to this feeling but the door to the room was suddenly pushed open with great force.

The moment shattered the two fell apart and stared up at the one who dare interrupt them.

"Oops." Lady said, standing there. "Sorry! I just-I thought I'd find-I'm going to go wait outside shall I?" she asked before hurrying away, shutting the door after her.

"...well that was perfectly... random?" Roxanne asked breathily, cheeks red.

"She must be here to drop something off for Bernard." Megamind mumbled to himself before sighing heavily, and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Come on. We need to get clean anyway." he said as he got to his feet and took her hands into his to help her up.

"Oh fine, fine... we can continue this later, can't we?" she asked softly, purposely drawing closer to the man and traced her nose against his jaw.

"Yes. Yes we can." he confirmed.

To be continued


	19. Excrement Hits Air Velocity Accelorator

Compliments at work were fast becoming something Roxanne had to get used to. While she wasn't exactly what you would call out of shape, one could hardly miss the fact that she was toning up relatively quickly. Her clothing hung nicer on her shapely form, there seemed to be a natural radiant gleam to her skin that her co-workers commented on, and they said there was something in her eyes that echoed of flames and enthusiasm.

Roxanne waved it off as a reaction to her dropping the column and focusing on her reporting. There was also a lie about getting a personal trainer and improved physical abilities. This was bought by pretty much everyone.

"You really are looking amazing, Roxanne." Elliott complimented as he brought her a cup of tea one morning.

"Aw, thank you!" she thanked him, smiling sweetly.

"Oh yeah and we got this mail for you in today. From your insurance company I think? About that gas blow out at your place?" he held out a letter to her. She had told her co-workers, and insurance company, that a gas leak had caused a small explosion that had destroyed her apartment. It still took a while for any kind of repairs to be done and it seems like now they were done.

She read through the letter and frowned. If her apartment was back to normal, that meant she didn't have to stay with Megamind anymore. While she did miss her apartment loft, a part of her dreaded the idea of going back there. Even with all the training under her belt, if she was attacked when she was alone could she handle it? Megamind hadn't let her go out to hunt with him yet, she always had to sit in the car and watch with Minion to see how things were handled. Of course, Roxanne didn't want to go all Xena Warrior Princess on the vampires either, she understood she wasn't a mastermind at it like Megamind.

"That's good, yeah..." Roxanne mumbled as she read over the letter. Indeed, the repairs were done, and she could go home tonight if she wanted. The idea of going home to her apartment, cold, alone, without the familiar warmth she had grown to expect when returning home to the manor didn't sit well with her at all. How would Megamind respond, learning she was moving out? Would he be against it? What if he wanted her to stay on, permanently?

Would it be a bad thing? Roxanne briefly fantasized about the two of them living somewhere together comfortably, where they could eat meals together, sleep in the same bed and awaken with each other. Such thoughts weren't something she thought of often, but when she did... it was like a little escape.

It probably would be best to go home and check over everything, to make sure it was all in one place. She could do that, surely. It was her home, after all.

The day wore on and Roxanne was almost done for the day when she was suddenly handed a breaking news story that she had to be out on the field for five minutes ago. Roxanne was to her feet and reading the read out with wide eyes; it was a fire. A huge one that was to the Eastern suburbs, a recycling plant that had gone out of business years ago had been on fire for three hours and just now the fire crew (Wayne might be there!) were just clearing up. Alarmingly, though, bodies had been discovered. And not 'fresh' bodies either, despite the fire damage to the remains found some of them appeared to have been there for years.

Roxanne grabbed her phone and pressed a button, and waited for the voice mail to pick up.

"Ashes burned." was all she said before hanging up and leaving the same message on another phone, though she was sure if Wayne was working today Bernard would know about this already.

Since Hal was still away dealing with family matters, at least that's what everyone around her believed, Roxanne was using a camera man by the name of Alex. He was a tall, tanned man with suave features and black hair. Once upon a time he would have been her type, but seeing how she was happily seeing a blue skinned man with acid green eyes, Alex was nothing more than a work mate.

"You can see the smoke from here, whoa." Alex said as he drove out towards the site, where Roxanne would have to stand near in order to be filmed.

"It is out, isn't it?" Roxanne asked as she skimmed the paperwork in her hands.

"Yeah. But there's still some after burn going on." replied the camera man as he pulled up against the sidewalk.

Roxanne was out the car first, and was glad to see there weren't any other news vans around. That was a good sign. If she could find Wayne, then she could have a quick word with him and ask him what he thinks about the bodies. She excuses herself from Alex, who needs to set up the camera, mentions something about wanting to find a fireman or the chief fire warden to interview on screen and hurries off.

The firemen are still around, rolling up their hoses and talking to one another admits the destroyed recycling plant. Roxanne scans their faces, and while there are many handsome young men here she just can't seem to find the one she's after.

"Looking for me?" Wayne's voice startles her and she spins around, laughing.

"Don't do that!" Roxanne laughed, smacking his arm. "You're sneaky for a big guy."

"It's a talent." he grinned before gesturing for her to follow him away from the crowd of people. "So you heard?"

"About the bodies? Yes." she asked quietly. "How many were there?"

"Impossible to tell." Wayne replied just as quietly. "They were practically piled on top of each other. I'm sure you media guys will chalk it up to a cult sacrifice or a murderer who's been dumping bodies here. It's bad, Roxie. They'll have to find these people by their dental records."

"So what do you think, vampires?"

"I know vampires." he said, frowning. "I don't think the fire was deliberate though. It's an obvious mistake, and now they've been revealed, something they never do if they can help it. So they can't call this place a save haven anymore, they could be spread anywhere now."

"Well that's great news." Roxanne pulled a face.

"My thoughts exactly. Bernard's already on his way here, he can track vampires pretty well with that nose of his and that'll give Megamind a great help." Wayne went on to continue.

"Think he'll actually let me help him this time?" she asked.

"Not a snowflakes chance in Hell."

"Figured."

"It's still far too early for you to face one alone, you know that. Now go on, you do your day job. I'll go grab the chief if you want?" Wayne asked, gesturing over his shoulder.

"Oh sure thanks I'd appreciate that." Roxanne nodded, and watched the man hurry away. Turning away from the men she stared at the blackened out building that had been gutted thanks to the fire. The air stunk of burnt plastics and metals, and she was thankful to see the firemen had gotten the fire under control and hadn't let it spread to the surrounding areas. A near by tree was torched, sadly, and one poor guy's car who had been parked on the side of the road had gone up in flames too but other than that, there was no damage.

Yet to think, vampires dumping bodies in a place like this, in the middle of suburbia! They really had the galls. Like Wayne had said, it was probably accidental, and she could almost imagine the creatures carrying on at lengths about what had happened and who to blame for it. Angry vampires are not happy vampires, and angry vampires tend to lash out at unsuspecting victims without rhyme or reason.

Megamind will be having his hands full, and having her in the car after a long, busy day won't be help to him. Maybe she should go home tonight, just to resettle into her familiar surroundings.

Wayne returned with the chief and Roxanne did her day job to a tee, and it wasn't half an hour later that her news story was being broadcasted all over Metro City about the recycling plant that had been hiding a horrible secret for years. It would be all over the newspapers tomorrow morning, and no doubt jokes were being made on the Internet as she spoke. None of this truly mattered to her, as she questioned the Fire Chief about what had happened, the only thing that did matter was the fact that a group of vampires were now without a place to roost... so they'd be looking for another.

That meant she had to be careful.

After the job was done, Wayne tried to find the woman but she was already gone. He had been about to offer to take her home, since it was late enough to do so, but finding both her and the news van gone told him she would probably get back home from the office. That made sense.

"Hey Fireman." Bernard's voice greeted him and he turned around to look down at the shorter man, and smiled in greeting.

"Hey you," he kissed him in greeting before turning to look at the gutted building. "Quite a mess isn't it?"

"It stinks to high heaven." grumbled Bernard as he tugged his gloves snugly against his hands. "I can barely smell the vamps."

"I was afraid of that..." Wayne mumbled. The stench of melted and burned plastics was thick and choking the air, he couldn't even contemplate how strong it was for Bernard whose sense of smell was above even his own.

Bernard took a few steps closer and took a good long sniff before coughing, and choking. "Oh good Lord." he wheezed, slamming his fist against his chest. "I can smell forever!" he choked as he backed away, shaking his head like a dog who had just smelt something awful. "Plastics, metal, decaying bodies, fire, melted materials, chemicals, vampires, blood, death... this isn't good. This is awful and it'll be on my nose for days!"

Wayne was already rubbing his back gently, trying to help him breath easier. "Sorry." he apologized.

"You're not the one who's been piling bodies up." Bernard said as he watched the medical crew continue to hang around outside the building. The fire department hadn't deemed it safe for people to walk in, making the fact there were numerous burnt bodies there all the more unsettling. There were families to notify, autopsies to be done, funerals to arrange but nothing could be done if the building could collapse upon the forensic team. Those men, and women, stood around in their white plastic suits and could only wait.

"So what do you think?" Wayne asked.

"There were a lot of them." Bernard replied as he dared sniff at the air again. "I can smell different smells on top of each other, all of them reeking of that stench all vampires carry. Let me tell you, no amount of deodorant or perfume will mask it from this nose." he tapped his button nose for emphasis.

"Can you track them?"

Bernard shrugged. "Like I said, there's a lot of other smells happening here now. I'll take a walk around, see what I can find."

"All right..." Wayne said cautiously.

"Hey is Roxanne here?" Bernard asked, glancing around and giving a quick sniff of the air.

"Ah, she was. She's gone now, it was probably a sudden on the spot job to do." explained Wayne as he looked to where the news van had been set up.

"Ah damn. I was going to ask her if she and Megamind's done it yet."

"Wait, what?" Wayne's eyes widened. "Why would you ask her that? That's... that's very personal!" he trailed after Bernard, who had begun to walk away.

"It's what friends do. I've noticed her looking far perkier than normal these past few days. Can't you tell?" asked Bernard, glancing up at his boyfriend. "She's got that 'I just had sex' face all the time now. Course that's pretty much impossible to get that all the time, but she just reeks of a woman who's had a good time."

"Well you shouldn't out right ask her that kind of thing, it's too personal." grumbled Wayne.

"Just because you and your brother can't discuss your love lives doesn't mean Roxanne and I can't." Bernard said back.

"What have you told her, Bernard?" Wayne asked, feeling suddenly very weary.

Bernard only gave him a small, pleased smile. Wayne was sure all color drained from his face as he stood there, feeling his stomach suddenly knot up. "You told her everything didn't you?"

"Well not everything." Bernard said. "She doesn't know about your little kink about my glass-"

"Please don't." pleaded the man. "Not in public."

"You," he reached out and poked the man's chest. "Need to stop worrying about what people think of you. Who cares if you're gay, you're still brilliant at everything you do. But fine, I won't go into detail out here but she doesn't know everything. We have to keep some secrets. So if I can tell her my stories, she has to come out with her own. It's only fair after-hey..."

"What is it?"

Bernard sniffed at the air a little more, and walked around in a circle once, twice. "A new smell. A vampire, one I don't recognize..."

"A newly turned one?" Wayne asked.

"Possibly..."

"That's just great." Wayne sighed.

Walking into her apartment, Roxanne couldn't help but feel a wave of familiarity wash over her. Even if she had become quite comfortable, and at home, at Megamind's house she couldn't deny the feeling of walking into her own home. The plastic covers were still there, left from the repair men, and the place smelt of paint, varnish, and hard work. Twitching her nose, Roxanne waved a hand in front of her face before walking further into her loft.

Seeing that the paint was dry, Roxanne busied herself with folding up the plastic sheets, and setting them away in a cardboard box she had stuffed away that her large television hand came in. She had to cram the plastic bags into the tight box eventually, and stood back to admire the look of her apartment, clean and whole once more. Setting her hands on her hips, Roxanne wondered if Megamind would ever consider staying the night at her place for a night or so.

That brought up all manner of things they could get up to together and she felt a heat rush over her. "Oh come on, don't be like that." she scoffed. "I can offer him the fold out couch but if he'd prefer he could sleep in my bed with me... we wouldn't do anything if he didn't want. If he was too tired..." course she'd feel all kinds of disappointment if they didn't fool around a little. Since finally admitting the 'L' word to one another things just seemed to fall into place with the two. They shared meals together in the mornings and late evenings, they worked out together, he taught her and set her course work to study books, and they had even begun fencing a few days ago.

While this was all expected, what with learning a new art, just the atmosphere between them had suddenly relaxed considerably. They touched each other easier, spoke at lengths about all manner of things, and their kisses had advanced to the stage of being very open and honest. For having never kissed a girl before, Megamind had become a great kisser. She couldn't help but speculate what he would be like in bed, with all that strength and self control and pacing his stamina the way he did in battle.

Shivering a little at the idea Roxanne went through to the kitchen to get herself a cold glass of water to drink to help cool herself off. Being with Megamind was refreshing, to be sure. Roxanne wasn't exactly what you'd call a prude, but she wasn't easy either. Her normal schedule of seeing a new man in her life meant a few dates first, a dinner at home with one another and the more physical aspect of the relationship would crop up at least a week or so after the initial first date. She had been with Megamind three weeks now and the furthest they had gotten was kissing open mouthed, and her letting him know that yes, he can touch her in places he didn't think possible before.

It was certainly a change of pace going this slowly, but she could see with every passing day his desire for her was growing, just like hers was for him. Maybe any day now they would throw away their apprehension and just take the plunge together.

Her train of thought was disrupted when she heard the door bell go. Glancing at the clock she wondered who would it be this late; maybe it was Megamind checking up on her? If so, that was perfect! And nice of him, too. She made her way down the hall to the door and pulled it open, smiling as she did. "Hello?" she asked, before she stared vacantly at the person at the door for a moment. "...hey! I haven't seen you in... a while?" Roxanne asked, though she wasn't sure why it was a question.

"Hyeah I know, ages hasn't it?" asked the visitor, whose hands were resting in the pockets of their green vest. "So, how you been?"

"Busy..." she answered quietly. "Very busy."

"Just like you, isn't it Roxy?" they laughed, and Roxanne found herself laughing with them, though she couldn't really understand why. It hadn't been that funny, but she was suddenly quite amused.

"I'm sorry!" Roxanne suddenly said, stepping back. "Would you like to come in?" she asked.

"Love to." they answered and stepped on through the door, and looked around. "Nice digs, Roxy." he said.

"Thanks, it's nothing that great..." Roxanne said as she shut the door behind him, and leaned against it for a moment. Something felt off about this, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. It was a little late for visitors, wasn't it? And this was him, someone she never would have thought she'd let-then again, he is looking very good tonight. "How about you, how's your dad...? I heard he had a heart attack?"

Hal turned to look at her and gave her an uncomfortable smile, and she knew she just touched a nerve. "He didn't make it." he shrugged. "Too many years of microwave pasta and TV dinners. Plus the guy smoked like a chimney."

"Oh Hal, I'm so, I'm so sorry." she moved towards him and felt her arms move of their own choice and wrap around his shoulders and she hugged him, and felt him return the gesture. Deep down, a shiver of... something made itself known but it was promptly smothered by the feeling of actual enjoyment from this moment. Her heart beat quickened, and a flush covered her face.

"Yeah well..." Hal mumbled, his breath against her neck. "We all got to go sometime, don't we?" he asked.

"That's a very mature outlook to have..." Roxanne agreed. "Were you close?" she asked, pulling back only just to look at him, allowing the man's hands to rest on her hips.

"Pretty close." he answered. "I had to help my Ma arrange the funeral and all the family coming, it's been a mess." that probably explained why it looked like he had dropped some weight since the last she saw him. When you were stressed and over worked with something like that, your body would react in all manner of ways. Hal suddenly smiled, "But hey. Let's forget about that for now, it's been all I've known for the past few weeks. You're looking great, you know?" his hands pressed against her hips, drawing her closer to him. "You been working out?"

Roxanne blushed, yet didn't pull away. Her heart was racing and her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies that were battling against fighter jets. Why was that? "Oh, ah, just a little... thanks for noticing." she admitted. Why was it that, suddenly, she couldn't remember why she'd been working out? Surely it must have been for a reason... her brain groaned under the pressure of trying to remember as the memory was being wiped away by a sudden cloud of hormones and desire she hadn't felt in her life.

"How could I not?" Hal asked, "You've always looked amazing but now, you look... way more amazing."

That was the best compliment anyone had ever given her. "Oh, you're just saying that..." Roxanne said breathily. His hands continued to caress her through her clothes, and it sent shivers through her body.

"Would I lie to you?" he asked pointedly, before grinning. "I would never."

"Mmh," she brought a hand up and ran her finger tips against the collar of his shirt. "Prove it." Roxanne whispered daringly.

And he did by kissing her.

To be continued


	20. Roxanne Vampire Slayer

Megamind had sat in with Roxanne over the past few weeks after training together in the grand library that she had quickly learned how to navigate through. It appeared as though Bernard had been in through the shelves before since the books were by order of year published and where it had been originally printed since books over two hundred years old tended to not carry dewy numbers like the books being printed now a days.

"It says here that vampires have a natural ability to tap into a persons psyche... is that what happened to me?" Roxanne asked, was she read over a book that had been translated from German.

"Hm." Megamind nodded as he reached over and pressed a finger to the page she was looking at. "If the mind is affected by anything, stress, alcohol, sleep deprivation, the vampire's natural alluring abilities are enhanced significantly. Since you were drunk, that's how he got you to follow him so easily."

"But it also says encountering a vampire of the opposite sex also does that." Roxanne commented.

"Well yes. Women are easily lured away by a male just how men are entrapped by a woman." he said.

"What if the woman is a lesbian, or the man is gay?" she asked.

"Then the vampire is very much screwed, that is, if they aren't drunk. Like I said, if you're not on your game, you can be lured under." Megamind settled back in the seat besides her and looked down at the book in his hands.

Roxanne paused, watching him carefully. "Have you ever been lured by a vampire?" she asked.

Megamind looked away, sniffing as he did. "Of course not."

She could tell a lie when she saw one. Grinning, she set her book down and scooted closer to him. "Yes you have, haven't you?" she asked.

"Noooo!" Megamind replied, lifting his head and shutting his eyes. "I'm far too professional to fall for such trickery."

"You're a liar!" Roxanne gaped, prodding his side. "I can tell! You have!"

"Gah!" he flailed his arms once before pouting, and opened his eyes to look at her. "Fine! Maybe once, or twice, when I was younger I was drawn in by a female vampire."

"A-hah!"

"Yes, yes you're a genius." he rolled his eyes before sighing. "For the first few times, it will be hard to deal with a vampire of the opposite sex. It's just one of their default mechanisms to have people fall for them, and follow them to their deaths. To have someone willingly follow is easier than dragging someone, it saves energy after all."

"Can you built an immunity, like to chicken pox?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh yeah. I can take down female vampires as easily as male ones, now." Megamind said. "And one day you'll be able to as well."

She loved his confidence in her, it was one of the things that kept her going in her pursuit of becoming a fighter like himself. Sometimes, when she was aching and sore after a particularly tough training session, or reading about how horrible some of the vampires of the past have been, she wondered just how she could stand up against them. Then, as if he had heard her doubting herself, Megamind would come by and say something that would make it all worthwhile, and possible all over again.

He really did believe in her, and love her. And she loved him, this blue skinned, green eyed, vampire slaying alien who saw her as the most amazing and beautiful woman in the world.

Megamind.

While vampires were indeed known for being powerful when it came to the art of seduction, Hal hadn't been a vampire that long. It took great amounts of concentration to keep their hold on a person. Not only had he not been a vampire for very long, but he had been wanting Roxanne like this for far longer.

When he finally had his arms around her, and her lips against his, that concentration fractured only just.

That was all Roxanne needed to realize what this was. It took all self control to not shove the man off of her and swear up a storm, since letting him know that she was aware of what he was. Fighting Hal at such close proximity might end very badly for her. While she felt that she could manage, if he got physical with her he could easily break her arm. Or worse.

She broke the kiss and smiled at him in her most alluring look, and she could all but hear his knees turn to jelly as she did. Oh yes, the tables were going to be turned quicker than he knew.

"How about," she trailed a finger tip against his chest (unable to deny that he had toned down, it must be the vampire in him) as she leaned in slightly. "I go slip into something more... hmmmm..." Roxanne paused to chuckle seductively. "Interesting?"

"That'd be so totally awesome." Hal blustered, despite not wanting to let her go. He was so close, so insanely close to making this woman his for all eternity and this fact made his un-dead pulse quicken and sweat begin to bead against his forehead.

"I'll be right back." Roxanne whispered before pulling herself away from him, and though she loathed to, swinging her hips as she did. She could easily hear him trail after her for a few steps before she makes it into her bedroom.

Suddenly wishing her room came with a door, Roxanne scolded the designer to Hell and back. She had to be quick, very quick. But she had to stick to what he thought he was getting, since if his attention was somewhere else (focusing on her body in something 'interesting') he would probably not pick up the fact one of her hands would be innocently hiding behind her back.

Since she had begun training with Megamind, he had given her a stake that he himself had carved years ago. It had been made of very hard, old wood that could do some real damage to anything it struck against hard enough. Even if it was a little heavy in her bag, she knew it was important.

Making her way to her dresser drawers, upon which sat her bag, Roxanne pulled out a few things before changing as quickly as she could. While she loathed to use her body like this, she knew that it was integral. If Hal became too aware that she wasn't under his control anymore he may become violent, and even if she had become stronger in the past few weeks thanks to her training, she was no where near ready to face a vampire alone without any assistance from Megamind or Minion.

Hal, meanwhile, couldn't believe that this was happening. When the woman who had changed him informed him of just what he was capable of, he couldn't have believed her. But after a few trials and errors in the art of drawing a woman in he knew it was finally time to go after that one person he had wanted since the beginning. Finally, Roxanne Ritchi would know just how great he was and that they were meant to be together. It'd be a dream come true, even if the whole vampirism was a little chore what with the blood drinking at all. But the blood just tasted so good it couldn't be wrong.

And now she was in her bedroom, changing into something no doubt sexy. He imagined see through negligee, stockings, straps and lace. Or, what if, what if she walked out completely naked? Oh man, he wouldn't know what to do! Wait. No, that's not right. He'd know what he'd do! It's something he'd fantasized about since he first laid eyes on the brunette.

She had no idea how much her world was going to be rocked.

And then there she was, leaning against the doorframe in a pink see through nightgown that snugly hugged her shapely hips but came to an end just above her knees. It had a plunging neckline, but the teasing pink bra underneath her gown seemed to beckon him forward to help her undress. Her panties were pure white, and as he had anticipated she had pink garter belts holding up white floral stockings.

"Oh wow." he whispered.

"Hmm. Thanks." she grinned at him before beckoning him closer with a curling finger. "Come on then..."

And he did. She watched as he all but tripped over his own feet as he clambered forward. Roxanne backed up, keeping herself just out of his reach before she climbed onto her bed. Hal was on the bed in seconds, kneeling on it, looking as expected as a puppy who was being offered a new squeaky toy. Roxanne finally got closer to him, pressed a hand to his chest, and pushed him downwards onto the bed.

"Oh man Roxie you got no idea how... how..." Hal struggled with the words, finding it impossible to phrase just how he was feeling and just how he had felt towards her all these years.

"Oh Hal." Roxanne sighed softly. "I don't know why it took me this long to realize..." she trailed off and blushed slightly.

"Realize what?" he asked.

"How... how..." she stammered with a heavy breath as she reached above him to adjust the pillow behind his head. "How utterly disgusting you are!" Roxanne finished strongly, and before Hal could calculate just what she was doing, as well as saying, the wooden stake she had thrown behind the pillow came slamming down into his chest with all the force she could.

Hal screamed as the pain engulfed him and he stared at her with a horrified expression of betrayal and heartache first, before it was overpowered by utter anger. Opening his mouth, revealing his gleaming white teeth, he hissed at her.

"Not only have you followed me for years, freaking me out with your creepy attempts at coming onto me, but now? Now your stupid remains are going to stain my BEDSHEETS."

Even as his body began to turn to ash, Hal lashed out and his hand struck her shoulder. The force was powerful enough to push her off of the bed and she landed on her back on the floor. Shoulder aching she sat up, and caught the last glimpse of Hal before he became nothing but ash and dust on her bed.

"Jesus..." she groaned as she slowly stood up, legs shaking from the rush of adrenaline from her first kill. It had gone amazingly but... that had still been Hal. Sure he had been a little creepy towards her but he'd never done anything to hurt her... and he'd been a great cameraman to her too. Shuddering, Roxanne sat on the corner of her bed and put her hands over face.

She didn't know what to feel. Proud? Accomplished? Horrible? Disgusted with herself? She had just killed someone, and not just anyone. Somebody she'd been working with for years. But Megamind had told her, that when a person became a vampire they lost who they were before to the darkness and evil, poisoning their body, mind and soul into an ultimately horrible creature. In a way, she had just saved Hal. He had been a nice guy, and he could rest now without being eternally tormented by the vampirism.

She still felt conflicted about it all.

Getting to her feet she made her way over to the bag she had fetched her stake out of, but this time pulled out a phone. Dialling a number slowly she held it to her ear.

Phone answered, she put on a shaky smile. "Megamind?" she asked before looking at her bed. "Could you... could you tell me the best way to get vampire remains out of my bed...?"

Across town, Megamind was already getting to his feet and running to the hallway to grab his jacket. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean I just... I just staked a vampire in my room. He got ash everywhere..." Roxanne looked over the remains.

"Hold on. I'll be right there."

"Thanks." she mumbled before hanging up and left the bedroom entirely and walked into the kitchen to get herself something to drink and try to clear her head. So this is what it was like, was it? Taking somebodies life in order to save them? How was it she never considered the fact it would feel like murder? Even if he had been about to take advantage of her, if she hadn't gotten her thoughts together when she had, who knows what he would have done to her before, or after, turning her into a vampire like himself. Or worse, just make her a human slave to do as he commanded, whenever he wanted. This sent a rippled of disgust through her body, and she was suddenly rushing to the bathroom to be sick.

When there came the knocking at her door, Roxanne carefully checked the small view hole to see who it was. Seeing the familiar baldness brought on a wave of emotion she could barely contain and when she threw the door open to see Megamind standing there she all but threw herself at him, arms locking around his shoulders and face buried into his neck.

Megamind had barely a moment to ask anything of her, since she was hanging onto him so tightly he couldn't get a word out even if he tried. Instead he held her back, eyes wide with worry. Slaying your first vampire was never easy, and the emotions you dealt with (if not properly prepared for it) before hand would floor anybody. Even with all his preparation and studies, after he defeated his first vampire as a teenager he had felt all kinds of feelings at the time.

She finally pulled back and smiled at him, a shaky but proud smile, and panted slightly. "I can't believe I did it," she said.

"I can." Megamind said honestly, before walking into her apartment and locking the door behind him. "So in your... uh... bedroom...?" he finally got a good look at what she was wearing and wondered if that was really what one should wear when slaying vampires. All that… see through material and visible underwear, while down right breath taking for him to behold, wasn't really what he had in mind to wear at all.

"Yeah, he... well. It was Hal." Roxanne explained as she led him down the hall to her bedroom door. She leaned against it slightly, looking away from the room. "He showed up and it's like you told me. A vampire has pretty strong alluring abilities and he almost had me but I got it together in time. I still had to make sure he thought he had me under his spell, though hence the... uh. Outfit." she looked down at herself and wondered why she hadn't gone and changed. Yes, she had been busy being sick and feeling a bit woozy since the phone call but surely she had had enough time?

Maybe a part of her wanted him to see her like this.

"Ah, so you did some character playing." Megamind commented as he looked past her into the room where the ash and dust from the vanquished vampire stained the bed and floor. "That's pretty clever of you." he commented. "Even if I'm jealous a vampire got to see you like that before I did."

"Believe me I hated having to do this..." Roxanne admitted, tugging on the nightgown to pull it closer to her, cheeks now blushing.

Megamind smiled faintly before touching her chin with his hand, lifting her head so she was looking at him. "I know it isn't easy..." he then looked at the large bruise forming on her right shoulder. Sighing, he pulled her into another embrace and hugged her. "You took on your first vampire and emerged victorious, and with your first injury to boot. And you did it all by yourself. When I tackled my first? Father was there to help me, so was Minion. You know what this shows me?"

"That I'm lucky?" Roxanne asked.

"No. That you've got the makings of a great vampire hunter and I could not be prouder even if I tried." Megamind said with a smile. "Now, let's get this gunk out of your bedroom and into the trash where it belongs."

"I agree. Hal remains are NOT something I want in my bedroom."

In the end, getting vampire remains out of a bed wasn't that easy. Roxanne and Megamind ended up changing the bed sheets entirely, as well as the cushion covers. As Roxanne took a moment to make him a drink, Megamind even ended up vacuuming her room, humming as he did.

During their cleaning they had gotten a phone call from Bernard, who rang to check up on her but also to let her know that from the smells of things there were vampires all over the place. Did this mean the war had begun, or not? Wayne was keeping an eye on things, though he hated to raise his hands in battle, he had to defend those poor people who may encounter the vampires.

Bernard even had Minion send out a distress call for help from near by Family members in neighbouring states, to come into town as soon as humanely possible to help deal with the wave of vampires. This of course had made Megamind want to race out there to deal with some of the enemies one on one, but Roxanne had to talk him down from doing it.

For one it wasn't fair for him to take on so much responsibility. He had Minion, Wayne, and Bernard out there doing the work for him tonight. That meant a night in.

"Well that's that." Megamind said as he turned off the vacuum cleaner and put it back in the cupboard where it belonged. "What's this?" he asked looking at the cup of chocolate sitting on the dining table.

"Hot chocolate. Just the way you like it." Roxanne smiled as she sipped her own. "Though how a vampire hunter like you doesn't drink coffee I'll never know."

"Coffee? Ick. No thank you." Megamind pulled a face as he took a sniff of the hot chocolate before glancing up at the repaired doors from which the changeling had broken through last time. "...but first..."

Roxanne watched as he pulled his jacket off, revealing the silver dagger strapped to his pant leg, and a stake as always held in place on his back. Of course to remove his jacket meant removing his sword first, of course. She wondered how he could be so nimble with so much heavy weaponry on him, but then remembered he had been doing this a long time.

That's when she saw something she hadn't noticed before. Looped on one of his belt hoops was, what appeared to be at first, a rosary. She saw the beads, and a cross, but upon closer inspection it had other small carved symbols hanging off of it also. She saw the Star and Crescent of Islam, Judaic Star of David, the Hinduism Swatsika (not to be confused with the Nazi symbol), there was even the Khanda symbol that came from the Sikh faith, and the Torii Gate from Shinto.

Once upon a time Roxanne wouldn't have been able to name all of the symbols, or the religion from where they branched, but thanks to her studies with Minion and Megamind she knew a fair number of them. She didn't recognize all of the symbols though that were small and hand carved hanging between the beads on Megamind's waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she saw him tug the necklace free of his waist.

"Setting up a way for protection. So even if they came to the window, they'd be incapable of entering. I've been reading up on it." Megamind explained as he looped the long beads around one of his wrists.

She settled back to watch as he began to whisper words she couldn't understand. Roxanne half expected him to pull holy water out of somewhere, or something like that, but all he did was touch his fingertips to each corner of the door, before moving through to do the same to her windows, and front door. All the while he mumbled like a man possessed, drawing symbols in the air as he did. Never before had she seen him do something like this, so it was a treat to watch him work against vampires in a way that didn't involve weaponry.

Once he was done he exhaled softly, and rubbed his hands together before blowing on them. If this was part of the ritual or not it was hard to say, but he promptly returned to the table and drank some of his hot chocolate. "That's good chocolate." he complimented.

Roxanne stared at him, before smiling. "So that will help?" she asked.

"Not as strong as the protection around our house, but it will do for now." Megamind said as he sat down, holding the cup warmly in his hands.

"Can I see?" Roxanne asked, pointing to his beads.

Megamind unwound them from his wrist and handed them over. She looked over them, and was amazed to see while half of them were carved from wood, some of them were made of marble. "Wow... this is beautiful..." she whispered. "Did you make these?"

"Father did." Megamind said. "They were his."

"Oh..." she softened her tone as she looked at them. Most of the beads had inscriptions carved into them, while the religious symbols were pure and untouched by markings. "It must mean a lot to you."

He mumbled.

"You're scared for him aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course. There's vampires out there right now, and he's been gone for so long. If he has gotten away, why didn't he come back? For all I know he could be a monster like them, or worse, a slave! Doing their bidding, unable to help or control himself. You know how that feels now, it isn't right. To think of him like that just..." Megamind gritted his teeth, and his gloves squeaked against the mug in his hands.

"It's not a nice feeling. I wanted to wake up but couldn't, at least until I was able to. He must have... I don't know. Lapsed or something..." Roxanne murmured.

"He hadn't been a vampire for too long. Probably wasn't as good as he thought he was. For that, I'm grateful." Megamind said sternly. Roxanne handed his beads back, and he attached them to his belt again. "Thanks."

The two sipped their hot chocolate in relative silence, before Megamind glanced out the window for the umpteenth time.

"If they needed your help they would call you." Roxanne told him softly. "You know that."

"I know." Megamind mumbled quietly. "Wayne's come a long way from not wanting to fight... and Minion's no push over either. I can't help it though."

"I know." Roxanne moved from her chair to stand besides him, before looping her arms gently around his shoulders and kissed his forehead. "You care so much about everyone, but you never seem to take a moment for yourself."

"Father always said death is when you can rest." he said.

"Well, he was wrong in that retrospect." Roxanne said firmly. "You need to take time for yourself or you'll run yourself ragged and you won't be of any help to anybody. You need to look out for number one... and me."

"I do look out for you!" Megamind replied.

"How about yourself?" she asked.

"Well..."

"I saw you those weeks back. You almost lost your arm to that vampire out at Maple Terrace because you were so exhausted. If Minion hadn't been there who knows what would have happened to you." Roxanne said gently, running her hand against the back of his head. "I know you feel that it's all your responsibility but it isn't. You've got family, and friends, here to help. But they can't help you if you don't let them, or if you keep worrying."

Megamind sighed, and set his mug down. "I know. I know."

"I hope you do. I know we'll be relying on everyone whenever this... this war starts, but right now?" Roxanne actually sat herself down in his lap, resting a hand to his chest. "I'm going to look after you."

"Look... look after me." he repeated with a mumble, since she still hadn't changed out of that outfit yet. Why hadn't she? Did she realize how hard it was to keep his cool about him when she was walking around in underwear like that?

"Yes." she answered softly before kissing his lips in a soft, gentle kiss. "In a way I hope you'll enjoy..."

"I'm liking it so far." he assured her as he settled a hand against her waist.

"Hrm. No, no no..." Roxanne was suddenly off of his lap, ignoring the slight whine he made. "These," she grasped one of his wrists in her hands to inspect the gloves. "Need to go. I want to be able to feel you, not the leather."

"But leather's so amazing." Megamind mumbled as she began slowly tugging his gloves off.

"It is, but you're more amazing." she assured him as she tossed the black glove away, and pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand. "To me, anyway." Roxanne promptly moved to the other gloved hand and carefully removed it, knowing how important his clothing was to him.

"I'd like to think so." he said quietly as he looked at his blue fingers and how they contrasted against her peach colored skin.

"Now this." Roxanne was against him suddenly, fingers unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing.

"This?" Megamind asked, flustered and surprised by how forward she was being tonight. Was this the result of the adrenaline she no doubt encountered after defeating her first vampire? When he had dealt with his, that adrenaline had kept him awake for a whole night and bouncing off the walls.

"Hnn, yes this." she was suddenly kissing him hotly, pressing her body close against his as she continued undoing the buttons on the black shirt. He kissed her back, hungrily, as he felt her hands push the shirt off of his shoulders and down his arms. The cool air bit at his flesh only momentarily before the warmth of her body scared it away. He moaned beneath her lips and hands as they touched him, and he wondered why he had been afraid of being with her like this before.

Roxanne too didn't really know what had come over her, but the time of throwing caution to the wind had passed. Something big was happening, about to happen, and neither of them knew what the out come would be. They hadn't time to play around with their feelings, or each other anymore. She loved him, that much she was sure of, and she wanted to share a physical bond with him that could never be broken.

She didn't remember when the two had got to their feet, or how she had half dragged, half led him from the dining room to the bedroom. The two bumped against the wall first, and she felt the cool wall press against her back but the heat of Megamind crushing in on her from the front was enough to dismiss the cold. He kept everything bad at bay, it seemed. Even if she wasn't a typical damsel in distress, she liked the feeling of being protected, and loved.

The world suddenly turned topsy-turvy and for the second time today Roxanne found herself on her bed with a man, but this time is was with somebody she wanted to be here with.

Even if the phone had rang at any point for the remainder of the night, it would have gone to voice mail because there was nothing in the world that was going to pull Megamind and Roxanne from each other tonight.

_Nothing._

To be continued 


	21. And so it Begins

The morning light filtered in through the drawn curtains, casting a smattering of colors and shadows over the two bodies still entangled in the bed. Roxanne very slowly opened her eyes and wiped the sleep from one of them, before peering at the clock. It read seven forty five, which was normally a time when she would be already at work. Last night however, and the events predeceasing it, had made the matter of work an insignificant matter.

She felt Megamind's chest rise and fall beneath her touch, and she could hear his heart beating softly, slowly, in comparison to how fast it had been hammering in his chest the night before. How wonderful he had been, how loving, tender and as full of stamina as she had anticipated. Of course, at first, he had been nervous and shy about what was about to happen but when she did that thing with her hand all of his fears seemed to melt like snow in spring time. It had been a learning experience for the both of them, and she would always treasure the night forever.

Roxanne only hoped there would be more of them in the future, and not too far between.

Reaching over his sleeping body Roxanne picked up her phone and dialed a number before mumbling a half assed 'I'm sick' excuse into her phone to her boss and hung up. Somebody else could handle the late breaking news today; surely, she didn't feel like moving at all. She didn't want to even leave the safety of the bedroom, and the arms of her lover, for anything in the world. Snuggling back down against him, and tugging a slipping blanket up to cover her bared back, she let her eyes slip shut again on a blissful, and content, sigh.

Their picture perfect morning was not long lived, however. The phone belonging to Megamind began to beep suddenly from within his jacket which still lay on the floor in the dining room. His ears, knowing that whenever it rang with that ring it was an emergency, awoke the rest of his body. Roxanne grumbled and whined, and held onto his arm as tightly as she could but he easily slipped away from her and padded into the dining room and retrieved his phone.

"Ollo?" he asked, sounding as tired as he possibly could. Still, Megamind stood up and walked back into the bedroom and climbed back into Roxanne's waiting arms as he listened to the person on the other end of the phone. He hummed as her fingers trailed patterns against his back and head, and let his eyes shut for a moment. "Hmmhmm? I see... Minion, stop it's fine..." he mumbled, "Nothing bad happened I'm fine..."

Roxanne couldn't help but give a small chuckle, before taking in a sharp breath since Megamind had tilted the phone away momentarily to allow himself to press a soft kiss to one of her bare breasts. "Cheeky." she mumbled.

"...hmmhmm? So when...? Good, great... is Wayne there? He can collect them, can't he? So how many-" he opened his eyes and stared ahead, though that meant giving Roxanne's body a good looking at. "That many? Is it that serious?"

He listened to Minion who explained the night before had been all kinds of crazy. Wayne had brought down five vampires in the span of four hours, Bernard had managed to deal with three and Minion himself had taken down ten. And yet Bernard could still smell their rotting stench on the air, so contacts in the government had been hailed. Whole sections of the city was being evacuated, those that reeked strongly of the vampires, and people were being told of dangerous chemical and gas leaks. This, in turn, had even more people who lived near by evacuate in fear of the problem spreading.

So far half the city's areas had been emptied out. Megamind sat up suddenly, and rushed from the bed. Roxanne sat up, and watched as he searched for the television remote. Finding it he flicked it onto the news channel and the room was filled with the sounds of a news room.

"-in the West end. In the top breaking news, multiple chemical leaks and gas pipe ruptures around the city are reportedly linked to terrorism attacks on our fair city. Local police are advising people to remain calm and if you are living in one of the affected areas to take only the essentials and get out as fast as possible. Emergency crews are doing sweeps to ensure nobody is left behind." the man behind the desk spoke off a prompter while on the small projected television screen over his left shoulder was that of people wearing protective yellow radiation suits waving machines over places. Then it showed people wearing gas masks, or the simple paper masks over their mouths and nose.

"I'm seeing it." Megamind said into the phone. "Wow they are good... yes, yes I know how much this will cost the city. But it's either this or multiple murders. All right. Fine. Calm down I'll be there." he hung up the phone and groaned, before rubbing a hand against his forehead. He eased slightly, though, when Roxanne's hands found his middle and she hugged him from behind. Pressing herself against his back she kissed his head, then his neck.

"You have to leave?" she asked quietly.

"'I have to leave." he answered softly. "Some of the Family are flying in right now, and this cover up of gas leaks is being managed by our contacts in the government... they all need to see me."

"You're very important to them." Roxanne mumbled.

"Hm." Megamind sighed before turning around so he was looking at her, and lifted a hand to caress her cheek gently. "Will you come with me?"

"Can I?" she asked.

"Of course. You're my pupil, and my girlfriend. You have every right to be there to see how we handle things." Megamind said before glancing down at the two of them and suddenly seemed to realize they were both still naked and without a stitch of clothes on. He swallowed, hard, before looking back at her.

She was smiling softly. "I'd love to. But first I think we both need to wash up before we head out, don't you?" she asked.

"That is a good idea." he said, nodding his head once.

"Come on then." Roxanne gripped his hands in hers and got off of the bed, tugging him to his feet.

"What?" Megamind asked, confused and flustered.

"We're going to save time and water by sharing the shower." Roxanne replied simply. His face was violet from the crown of his head to his cheeks and she giggled, before pulling him in close and wrapping her arms around him, and kissed him passionately. Even with the morning breath, she got through the kiss before breaking it. "Compared to what we did last night I think sharing a shower is the most innocent thing we can do right now. Don't you agree?" she asked.

Head reeling from the kiss, Megamind could only nod dumbly before being led to the bathroom by his girlfriend.

The Manor hadn't seen so many cars parked within the large wall before. There were multiple cars, rented from the airport, and had brought all manner of people. Inside the walls there were people everywhere talking, arguing, and discussing what was going on. Minion was serving tea and coffee to everyone, while Bernard was scaring the younger children out of the precious library less they get their grubby finger prints on the ancient books. Wayne, meanwhile, was trying to head the conversation but was obviously having trouble.

"-and what activity did you see last night, what breeds? Where? In what number?" asked an older woman with black hair.

"Well you have to understand-" Wayne started.

"Where is your brother, he's the head of this section!" grumbled an old man. "I ain't talkin' to you."

"Now that's a little ru-" Wayne turned on the old man before having his attention drawn away again.

"Is it really safe to have a werewolf in here, look he's looming over the children!" said a young mother who was glaring at Bernard who was loitering at the doorway that led to the library.

"There's no time for that-"

The main door suddenly opened and all eyes, and heads, turned to stare at who stood there.

Roxanne was standing behind Megamind and felt like she had just walked into a mafia movie. All the people here, all Family members, looked at Megamind as if he was a reverend or something. He removed his hat and hung it on a peg while a young man approached him.

"Ethelwine, thank God. How are you?" he asked, taking Megamind's hand and shook it.

"I'm good. What's the situation here?" Megamind asked as he walked with the young man while other people approached Megamind, extending their greetings and blessings. Some women even offered condolences at the news that his Father might be alive, in some way shape or form.

Feeling as though she was in over her head, Roxanne hung back, while she looked confused. "Ethelwine?" she said quietly.

"That's his name." said a blonde woman besides her, who smiled when Roxanne looked at her in alarm. "That's the name his Father, Willoughby gave him when he brought him under the Family protection. Hi," she shook Roxanne's hand. "My name's Eagle."

"Roxanne..." she answered, shaking her hand back.

"Oh you're Roxanne! We've heard all about you!" Eagle smiled.

"You have?" Roxanne asked.

"Word spreads fast around here." Eagle grinned, "You've been training with Ethelwine for almost a month, right?"

"Right..." Roxanne watched as Megamind approached the dining table where many people were sitting at. Upon the table were a range of weapons Roxanne hadn't seen before. Had they brought them? Or were they from a store room in the manor she didn't know about?

"All right everybody!" Megamind called out, and a hush fell over the crowd. Even the young children who had been giving Bernard strife hurried over to listen to the blue man. "We all know why we're here. It's been almost two hundred years since Dracula made his appearance in England. We know the Children have been here long enough to take my Father from us. Their attacks are growing in number, as is their strength. The war is upon us people and this is not the time to be weak. It's apparent to all of us that this, our city, is the playing field that Dracula has chosen."

He walked along the chairs slowly, trailing his hand against people's backs and shoulders as he did. "With half the city evacuated gives us an advantage. We run no risk of multiple casualties, and in this day and age of technology our War might be pushed forth into the limelight if there were casualties. You all know what to do should we happen upon witnesses. I've perfected the chemicals, just be careful not to breathe them yourselves." Megamind stood by an older man, who was still looking at Bernard who was scratching his chin. "In a time of war we have to count on all the friends we can, no matter where or who they are." Megamind said pointedly, looking at Bernard who bowed his head and looked at the floor.

"Now you're going to be divided into sections and sent out to deal with those locations. Track down the vampires. Destroy them. Efficiently and quickly. Lady here," he gestured to Lady who was sitting off to the side with her parents, "And her parents will be joined by our other medical experts who will be on call for any and all emergencies. You all have their numbers, and Wayne here will fly them out directly to where they're needed."

"But-" Wayne started.

"No buts." Megamind cut him off with an authority Roxanne had never witnessed before. The playful, cheerful Megamind had taken a back seat to a man who would no doubt make his Father very proud. "Your strength is a valuable asset to us but your speed is even more important. If you had a choice of killing a vampire and saving one of us, which would you choose?"

Wayne sighed quietly, and looked away.

"Countless wars have passed and so many of our Family have fallen. I, for one, am sick of allowing the enemy to win in the body count war. We will do everything we can to ensure our casualty list is small. I'd be an idiot and a fool to think none of us may die over the past few days, and my Father raised no fool." Megamind paused to look up at the portrait of the man, sitting there at his chair holding a vampires decapitated head. He sighed slowly, before turning back to the people gathered in his home. "We stand on the brink of a war our Family has been fighting since these monsters first came into being. Let's give them a pounding that they shall never, ever, forget."

Roxanne had to cover her ears when the applause exploded all around her. She would never had taken Megamind, Ethelwine, as the type to give rousing speeches even if his had been tainted by the painful truth that death was not something to be avoided in this war. During the cheering this gave her a chance to really look at the people here. Only a small handful was made of older people, well past their sixties, and she wondered if they could fight at all. Then again, these people knew how to look after themselves since there was not a chubby person in sight.

There were women, men, and even various creeds and races. She spotted at least three dark skinned people, a couple Asians and even an Indian sat amongst some white women. This was only a small handful, wasn't that was Megamind had told her? The Family from the surrounding states who could get here this quickly to help. She shuddered to think just how huge the Family was.

"Our house has many rooms, all but a few are shut to you." Megamind instructed. "My laboratory remains off bounds to everyone. That's the room in the West wing, last one on the left. It's locked. The basement is also off bounds tonight." he said sternly, glancing over once more at Bernard who had drifted to be besides Wayne, who had an arm around him. "You all know Bernard Dunning. Yes, he is a werewolf. But no, he isn't a threat to any of us when he's like this. Run into him when he's a wolf though and you'll be asking for trouble. So please. Don't enter the basement tonight." Megamind smiled softly. "We'll sort out the room and get a whole bunch of spare beds for when you want to rest, so nobody will be without a bed. Any questions?"

The meeting went on for hours more. Questions and answers were voiced; maps were drawn up and even projected by electric means Roxanne couldn't understand. Groups were given names and sectors to investigate; weaponry was counted and kept tabs of. Like Megamind, the fighters of the Family held various types of weapons. One woman, of Asian decent, seemed to work with twin blades. All of them had stakes handy, however. Others had fire. A few of them had religious symbols hanging around their necks, or bracelets, some were even carved into their weapons.

It was amazing to know that this secret war had been going on for so long, and yet nobody knew about it.

It was four in the afternoon when she finally found a spare moment to finally approach her boyfriend. He was standing in the backyard, watching some of the younger children fighting against each other.

"Zeke, watch your footing. Alexander, more speed. Don't give him a moment to recover because a vampire will take that chance to strike." Megamind said, and the two boys began fighting again.

"Well, well." Roxanne smiled, walking up besides him. "You've certainly come into yourself."

He smiled shyly. "Yeah well..."

"Ethelwine?" she asked.

Megamind groaned. "Yes."

"That's a lovely name." Roxanne complimented. "Why don't you use it all the time?"

"It's not exactly... I don't know. I like Megamind." he shrugged. "It's like a nickname more than anything else."

"Does it mean anything?" she asked.

"Noble friend." he replied quietly.

Roxanne smiled before wrapping her arms around him, and he easily returned it, holding her tightly. She shut her eyes and lived in the moment, holding him, being held by him, and tried not to think about how tonight he would be heading off with his cousins to do battle against vampires that were growing in strength. Was Dracula in the city? Was the Children? What of his Father? There was so much hanging in the air...

"I wish I could go with you." she whispered.

"You know you can't." he replied quietly. "You're not ready. And if something were to happen to you I don't... I don't know what I'd do."

"I know." Roxanne shivered and kissed him, uncaring if anybody saw them. He kissed her back passionately, and for but a moment it felt as though they were still in the safety of her bedroom, blankets curled around them and nothing to keep each other warm but the warmth of each others bodies. The gagging of the little boys brought them out of their moment, and Megamind shook a fist at them before they ran off, laughing.

"You have a laboratory?" Roxanne suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"You mentioned a lab. Back there." she gestured to the house.

"I do. I design new weapons and ways to hurt the enemy in there and I've been looking at... something interesting. Nobody else knows about it, because I don't want to set up a big disappointment." he replied.

"Can you tell me?" Roxanne asked.

He paused in thought. Only Minion had been allowed in the lab before, since it was where many of the mechanisms of his suit had been design and tested. While it was mostly a place for him to design and build ways to foil vampires or to help aid him (the security camera disrupter and invisible car had been born in the lab) lately the lab had been used for more organic tests. How would she react to seeing them?

"I don't know... it's pretty private." Megamind mumbled.

Roxanne felt a bit disappointed but she had to respect his privacy. She smiled. "I understand." she whispered before kissing his lips one more time before pulling away. "Now you need to eat before you all head out and Minion needs help cooking for all these people. I'll see you inside?" she asked as she walked away from him.

"Oh yes." he nodded.

"See you inside, Ethelwine." she smiled.

"Don't call me that." Megamind grumbled.

He hadn't turned back to instruct his cousins' sons for all but ten minutes before somebody else approached him. The heavy nudge to his shoulder told him who it was long before turning around. "Hello Wayne." he said.

"Hello, hello." Wayne smiled as he set his hands on his hips as he looked down at his brother. "You're certainly doing well for yourself."

"Am I?" Megamind asked, trying not to play along to his mind game.

"Oh yes. You're managing the family in a way that would make Father proud. You're giving orders, people are following. You're teaching. And you have Roxanne too, am I right?" he asked.

"Mm." grunted Megamind.

"You didn't come home last night after going out to see her did you?" Wayne asked, lifting a hand to scratch his beard. It was a new addition, since staying up all those nights to be with Bernard he hadn't had a real chance to shave. Bernard, in turn, had commented on the fact he liked him with a beard and that sealed the deal.

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" Megamind asked back.

"Because I like teasing you, little brother." replied Wayne honestly before nudging him again. "About time, hm?"

"Oh stop it!" Megamind spluttered, trying to shove his brother away.

"A-hah! So you did!" Wayne grinned victoriously.

"Fine. Yes. We did it."

"Awesome! Good on you!" the taller man punched his brothers shoulder, softly though since he didn't want to hurt him. The force still almost knocked Megamind over. "Aw man I'm so happy for you! I told you all you had to do was wait, that the right girl would come along for you."

Megamind, blushing brilliant violet, only coughed.

"So how'd you go?" Wayne asked.

"Why are you asking me this?" Megamind spluttered. "I'm not giving you details! It's private!"

"Private, sure. So what has Roxanne and Bernard been whispering back and forth about then?" he asked.

"Don't tell me Wolf Man knows too..." sighed the blue man.

"Probably. I'll just ask him then." Wayne grinned, though in reality he wouldn't really. Like Megamind, the idea of thinking about his brother having sex with somebody wasn't something he liked contemplating on at all. Deep down, Megamind knew this too but the brotherly teasing was still something that had to happen. It was family law.

"Bah!" Megamind waved his hands. "Boys that's enough for tonight, come on. Dinner's ready."

The two ten year olds ran back to the house, closely followed by Megamind and Wayne, who continued to berate each other until they were inside.

To be continued


	22. Release the Beasts

Opening the lab door, Megamind slipped inside and shut the door behind himself and leaned against the wooden door for a moment, and sighed heavily. This was it. The testing had been going well so far, and now was the time for the final experimentation to see if what he had been working on for all this time had been completed.

The lab was a fairly large room that was probably once meant to be a main bedroom, but it had been transformed into a lab many years ago. It now had tables everywhere that were piled with pieces of machinery and against one of the walls there was a cupboard full of test tubes and tumblers full of strange liquids. A small white fridge sat in the corner, humming softly to itself with electric happiness. Megamind crossed the room after removing his jacket and gloves, only to replace them with a white lab coat and pink rubber gloves. Grabbing some eye wear from a near by table he pulled the goggles over his eyes before he crouched in front of the fridge.

Pulling it open, cold smoke came drifting out of the small machine, and Megamind shivered before plunging his hand into the fridge to retrieve what he was after; a liver that looked partly decayed, a pitcher of diluted red solution and a small test tube that was full of blood. Shutting the door of the fridge he set the odd ensemble of things on a table and stood back to observe them a moment.

"All right." he mumbled as he grabbed a teat petite and squirted some of the diluted solution into the blood. There was no reaction, and that made him frown. Then, using a different petite he collected some of the blood and dropped it onto the liver.

The reaction was instantaneous. The liver began to suddenly churn, as if suddenly alive, before it collapsed in on itself. The smell was horrendous, and Megamind had to open a window before rushing back with a scalpel. Slicing off a bit of the dissolving liver he rushed to his microscope and slid it under the lens and peered down at the liver. In the magnified image he saw spiked cells being over come by red cells, dissolving before his eyes before the red cells suddenly exploded into nothing. Stepping back, Megamind looked at the liver before taking more blood, and dropped more of it onto the organ.

Once again the organ began to collapse in on itself and Megamind had to stagger back, the smell was that horrible, but he had a delightful grin on his face. He'd done it. He'd done it! He hadn't thought it'd be possible and after messing around with the lab these past few months had finally brought results!

By the time he came downstairs he saw his family gathered in the main dining hall. They were all preparing, pulling on their protective gear, sharpening their tools, and the like. The room was full of activity, their talking filling the air. The young boys sat besides Roxanne and Lady, too young to go fighting but had to be brought here because their parents were here and nobody could watch them back home. Minion was standing by the window, watching everyone with a nervous, worried expression. Bernard was no where to be seen, since it was so late in the day he was probably already strapping himself into the basement.

"All right..." he said to himself before holding an arm up. "Everyone?" Megamind called out, since everybody had been talking. They all turned to look at him, and saw he was holding a box in one of his arms that seemed to be full of something. "I want to give you something that I've been working on for the past few months. It's very dangerous, and I must warn you to treat it with great care. Do NOT get it on your skin, or in your eyes." Megamind approached every one of them and handed them what looked like ordinary bullets. "These will fit into any of your automatic weapons."

"Bullets?" Asked one of his cousins, looking at a round of them. It was then he realized they weren't made of metal, but something harder, something red, and possibly oozing. "How are they different?" he asked.

"Well Johnson you're right," Megamind replied. "They are bullets, but bullets unlike any you've seen before. These bullets carry cells that seek out the vampire disease and attack it, breaking it down, thus destroying it entirely before they destroy themselves from the strain." Megamind said as he continued handing the bullets around. "They're very dangerous. Now as we all know normal bullets may cause a vampire some strife but never kills them like a mortal being. These bullets, thogh, will injure the vampire since the cells will spread instantly once they come in contact with the vampire body and eat away at it. If you're a good shot and you shoot them in the heart it might kill them straight off the bat. Though, if you can't? Shoot them anywhere to cause them great pain and take them down your usual way."

"How did you discover this?" asked a woman as she loaded the bullets quickly into a gun. "This is amazing!"

"We'll be here all night if I explained how I did and we have a job to do, for the people of this city and the people of the world." Megamind replied as he handed the last one over before stepping back, and looked around at the people. "We set out tonight to vanquish our enemies and send them back to where they belong. There will be casualties, of course. If you are injured beyond the point of tending to yourself, you know who to call and they'll be there as fast as possible. Right Wayne?" he asked his brother, who nodded.

"Good. Now. Let us hang our heads."

Roxanne watched as everyone did this, before doing the same and looked down at her hands.

"May our swords be sharp and our aim true. The blood to be spilt will be our enemies, and we shall stand victorious for all who have fallen before. May the Gods of old and all protect us, and send the demons howling back to the darkness from which they spawn."

It was spoken as one, and Roxanne was reminded of a session in a Church where people would speak the Lords prayer. But this was not talking about forgiveness, love, or belief in heaven almighty or God. All the Gods? That explained all the beads of various religions. Did they all hold a power to dispel evil, or was it belief in them that gave the people strength? There were so many questions, and not enough time. Lifting her head she saw people already filing out the door, and watched sadly as the twin boys hugged their father goodbye; possibly for the last time. Another little girl hugged her mother, crying but trying to be brave at the same time.

She suddenly searched the crowd for a blue head but didn't see it. Panic rising in her chest Roxanne got to her feet and rushed after the crowd that was moving through the front door. She passed through it and finally spotted Megamind talking with Minion. The fish was obviously unhappy at being told to be left behind, and was just storming past her as she rushed up to Megamind.

"Megamind!" Roxanne rushed down the stairs and threw her arms around him before he could properly react, and he almost fell over. She wanted to tell him not to go, to stay with her and stay safe but she knew better than to ask that of him. This night was what he had been trained to do since he arrived on this planet; it had been what his Father had taught him. To ask him to betray it all for her was foolish and childish. "I love you." she whispered, trying to remain strong but her weakness was given away by the trembling of her voice.

"I love you more." he replied quietly, his voice strong, his arms sure, and his heart beating against his chest. "I'll come back."

"You better." she mumbled.

"Don't leave the Manor." Megamind pulled back, looking at her. "Don't leave the walls. The house will protect you but they still might roam the woods. You'll hear them, and you'll feel them. But if you get scared, and think they might discover the Manor..." he trailed off before drawing in close and whispered. "Release the hound."

"What?" Roxanne asked, confused.

"We've been training him for years." Megamind said.

"Who?" she asked.

"Bernard." he confirmed. "He knows to attack a vampire and avoid any familiar smells. You're familiar to him, you'll be safe."

"Wh-what how did you...?" Roxanne was shocked. Werewolves were dangerous, how was it that he and Wayne train a werewolf to only attack vampires?

"It took a long time." Megamind said before he kissed her hand once, and lifted his gaze to look at her. "Goodbye, Roxanne."

"Don't say that." she said shakily. "Please don't."

"Goodbye." he said before climbing into his car and drove off after the other cars that were exiting through that lone, huge gate that she had been brought through all those weeks ago.

Roxanne watched the procession of vehicles until they were all gone, and she felt like she could scream in frustration and agony before a sudden howl filled the air that did the screaming for her. Bernard, locked away in the basement beneath the house, voiced her anguish for her. The mournful sound was of somebody alone in the world, left behind by everyone who cared for them, and knew there was nothing more they could do to help themselves. Choking back a sob Roxanne turned and rushed back into the manor, and shut the door behind her.

It didn't take long for the first wave to descend upon the Family at all. Each car, carrying a home made radio that was connected up to each other, was soon full of sounds of people calling out what was going on. Megamind listened as a pack of fifteen came down on the cars heading to the South of the city, while another twenty were latching onto the Northbound cars. The screams and shrieks of the vampires filled the airwaves, and Megamind wondered why nothing was coming down on him. It was like a chess game being played out between him and the vampires, and he hated the game. It was just too easy for him to win.

He finally reached his destination, ironically an old abandoned church surrounded by private schools and upper class housing, and the second he stepped out of the car that feeling washed over him again. It was that same dreadful feeling that had gripped him all those years ago when his Father was taken. It hung in the air thick as fog yet invisible to the naked eye. He smelt the death and the decay, and could feel eyes on him that were hidden from sight. Megamind was just turning around when he felt needle like blades slash across his face.

He ran away from the car, towards one of the school's ovals, and the slashing continued as he ran. His poor leather jacket was being ripped at already, and that meant just more work to be done later. That was the key to surviving all of this; tell yourself what you're going to do when you get home again. But why was it that the first vampire he encountered for the night had to be a Mist? He cursed his luck before he suddenly spun around as he sensed a presence growing. Before him, quick as a flash, a woman in black clothes appeared. Her hair was long and spindly, wild in the air, wild as her eyes that stared at him with a cool calm confidence that he hated seeing in these creatures faces.

"Hello child." she whispered before she vanished into thin air again, barely giving him a chance to grab her. He suddenly felt two more Mists appear, and judging by how they were ripping at his jacket and arms they were in a mood for a good fight. The slashes scraped against his face and body, but he kept his arms up to protect his face since he'd be lost if they destroyed his eyes out here.

Grinding his teeth through the pain he readied himself. Lifting his arm slightly he saw a figure just beginning to appear to the left of him before he reached out quickly and grabbed onto a wrist. This one was a man, who snarled at him and raised his free hand to no doubt claw out Megamind's eyes but the alien was faster and the blade struck true to the Mist Vampire's chest. He screamed and fell away, turning to ash already as another one appeared behind Megamind. It knocked his hat off of his head and opened a wound at the back of his head but once again, he grabbed the offending arm before killing it quickly.

The female was the last to fall, and Megamind soon walked through the black soot on the grass.

"COME ON THEN!" he screamed at the darkness. "I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! I FEEL IT! ARE YOU SCARED OF ME?"

All the wind was suddenly knocked out of him, and he went rolling painfully over the grass actually went slamming against the church's wall. A large, pale, almost naked man rolled along the grass too, before lifting its head and smiled at Megamind with crooked, bloodied teeth for but a second before it came charging back at him. It was a Berserker. His luck really was horrible tonight.

Megamind screamed and drew his sword and slashed at the beast as it came upon him, and the blood spurted out from the point of contact but the vampire barely noticed. Suddenly there was another one joining the first, roaring and wild, hungry and ravenous, and Megamind was just lifting his gun to shoot at it with one of his bullets when it knocked the gun clearly out of his grasp, slashing at his hand as it did. Gasping in pain at first left him open for a sudden launching attack and he twisted under the weight of the assailant, ignoring the bleeding of his hand now and rolled away. He swung his sword again, and an arm went flying into the grass, useless and dead. The screams of the beasts filled the air and Megamind continued trying to dodge their wild actions, their beastly behavior making it hard to pinpoint where they would strike or where they would go.

Then his sword was knocked away thanks to a good swipe at his injured hand, and Megamind fell to the grass, blood and dirt staining his skin and clothes. If this was it, than this was it, but he wasn't going to go down screaming like a child. He grabbed the dagger from his leg and spun around in order to slash at whatever it was baring down on him but was startled to see one of the Berserkers hurled over him and thrown into a tree that toppled with the weight of the creature. Turning his gaze Megamind stared at the last person he expected to see fighting the other Berserker.

"Minion?" he asked.

Minion had no time for talk to his friend at all because he was locked in combat with the other Berserker and the creature trying to slash at his body but his claws did nothing against reinforced metal. The fish's eyes were narrowed dangerously, his sharp teeth exposed in a threatening growl as the luminescent orbs on his body flashed in a display of anger that, in the wild, would probably intimidate smaller males when it came to fighting over females, or nesting places. He suddenly screamed in a primeval rage, eyes turning white as he did, while he dug his hands down against the Berserkers wrists. As he did this, claws that had been built into his fingers erupted out of their sheaths, acting like small swords, and dug deeply into the Berserker's skin and with a show of great strength Minion ripped the vampires arms clear out of their sockets. Blood sprayed in all directions, and the dead, useless arms were thrown down onto the floor as Minion continued his scream of victory before leaping onto the Berserker to finish the job.

Megamind meanwhile was back on his feet and grabbing his sword, as the second Berserker was almost upon him again. He heard the death of the other Berserker over his shoulder, a last pitiful scream of agony and defeat, but was unable to look to see what Minion had done since he was dealing with the one armed Berserker. With one swift swing of his sword its head became separate of its body, and the hulking beast collapsed. Chest rising and falling Megamind looked over his shoulder to see Minion tearing the remains of the Berserker apart, since it was something that had to be done right away. Turning away from the grizzly scene Megamind did the same to the second dead Berserker.

Soon the job was done, and Minion was shoving the remains of the vampires into a black bag while Megamind cleaned the blood off of his sword.

"I told you to stay and watch over the others." Megamind finally said.

"You're my main priority, Sir." Minion said gravely, uncaring of the blood that now splattered his suit in various locations. He slung the bag over his shoulder, and began walking back to the car with Megamind at his side. "Your parents told me to look after you, and that's what I'm doing."

Megamind smiled faintly. "Thank you..."

While Minion deposited the Berserker's bodies into the boot of the car Megamind suddenly turned around, listening to the night. There were screams in the distance, but not screams of a vampire or a hunter. They were panic stricken, horror filled... "Is that a person?" he asked.

"I think so." Minion replied, when another scream filled the air. He slammed the boot shut on the bodies and followed after Megamind who was already running across the oval, kicking up ash and dust as he did.

The duo ran down the streets, following where the panic screams continued to fill the air. From Megamind's judgment, idiots had stayed behind despite the 'warnings' in order to break into the up town houses to steal goods from the abandoned houses. People could be down right stupid, sometimes. Maybe this could serve as a lesson, if only they would keep their memories of the encounter. A large black wolf was suddenly thrown in front of them, and it yelped as it landed badly on its back legs. It didn't stay down for long and soon ran straight back through the fence it had been hurled through and Megamind saw who it was battling.

It was Eagle.

She had a nasty slash to her face and on some of her arms, but she was waiting for the beast. It leaped upon her and she swung her two swords, digging both of them into the chest of the beast and slammed it down into the ground. Pulling its stake out from its holster on her side she slammed it down onto the large beasts chest, and it screamed in agony as it melted from a wolf to a woman. She screamed pitifully before breaking down into ash and nothing else.

"See to the people." Megamind told Minion, who went to do just that, pulling out a familiar can of spray as he did.

"I didn't expect people to be here." Eagle muttered as she touched her bleeding cheek.

"Idiots the lot of them." Megamind scoffed in return as he pulled out an antiseptic wipe and handed it to her. She thanked him and wiped at her face. "How many have you done in so far?" he asked.

"Several. They're everywhere it seems..." she said, "It's a mess. How about you?"

"Same." Megamind nodded. "Minion came to save my butt though." he paused for a moment, before looking up at the sky. "You sense it, don't you?"

"That looming feeling? Oh yes." she nodded, and looked around. "Yes but... I think it's moving away...? Towards... towards..."

Megamind had a sudden sinking feeling strike him up the back of the head as powerfully as the Berserker had done. Was it moving towards the woods outside the Manor? If it was the Children doing the moving, could they even see past the charms and protection on the house? He swallowed, before looking back at Eagle. "Who's closest to the Manor?" he asked.

"I don't... I don't know. I think Johnson?" she asked.

"Come on. We need to get home." Megamind said.

"But we've barely started!" Eagle said as she followed him, she herself quickly followed by Minion.

"They're going to the manor! If they have Father, he might be leading them there!" Megamind called back.

"But why?" Minion asked.

"To find me." Megamind replied gravely. "That's what this is all about. It's what it's always been about."

"What do you mean?" demanded Eagle.

"No time. We have to move, now. You know the way, alert as many who can get away to return to the Manor as fast as they can. Minion! Get me home!" he called.

"Yes Sir!" Minion stopped running and pressed one of the buttons on his suit. The whirling filters on his back suddenly extended out, before actually turning around. They were pushed into his body and in their place was a rocket pack that Megamind had designed months ago. It suddenly roared into life, and Minion lifted his friend into his arms. "Hold on tight, Sir." he ordered.

"Like I'd do anything else." Megamind said.

The ground suddenly fell away into the night and Megamind watched as the suburbs became something like a picture. He could hear screams and howls, and now and then he was sure he saw a streak of what he thought was Wayne moving from place to place. Megamind looked out towards where the Manor was, and was certainly he could almost see a black mass moving on towards the house.

He just prayed they got there in time and he dare not even think about what could happen if the Children got through the Manor's defenses. Within the manor only Roxanne, a few of the wives, and children remained. Of course the women knew how to defend themselves, as did Roxanne, but they would have no chance against the Children. And if Dracula was actually with them, moving with his beloved Children, then they were as good as dead already. The idea of Roxanne dying in a war she had only just become a part of was too cruel to think of, and he felt sick.

"Don't worry Sir." Minion seemed to pick up on his distress. "You're a very competent fighter, and I think they know that. Why else would they lure everyone away only to sneak attack the Manor if they weren't afraid of you?"

"Somehow that isn't helping." he said flatly, but still managed a smile at his friend.

"I know Sir. I'm sorry." sighed the fish.

"Now I'm getting blood all over my jacket again... blagh." Megamind sighed before suddenly going still in Minion's arms.

"What is it, Sir? Sir?" Minion asked, not liking that expression that was crossing Megamind's face. He began to descend towards the woods, since the Manor wasn't too far away by now. The trees were only a few feet beneath them now.

"It's them. I know that feeling! It's THEM."

With that, Megamind pulled free of Minion's grasp, and leaped out of his arms and fell down towards the ground and the darkness of the woods from which the horror that awaited him lurked. Minion screamed out and dived to catch him but just missed, and he could only watch as Megamind vanished beneath the trees. Knowing he had no time, he flew on towards the Manor, hoping to put up a strong defense if the vampires were indeed trying to over throw the house of the Family.

"They're getting louder." whispered Alice, Lady's mother.

"I know." Roxanne said quietly as she stared out of the window.

Outside, there were shrieks and screams of monsters she couldn't see. A feeling of dread was beginning to grip the house, and Roxanne could not help that sickly, sinking feeling in her stomach. They were right outside, weren't they? Lurking, waiting, planning an attack. What could they, those left behind, do? Roxanne already had the sword she had been training with at her side, as well as those bullets built by Megamind but they wouldn't be enough against a whole horde. What could they do, where could they hide?

"Release the hound."

Megamind's voice echoed in her head and she looked around. He had showed her the door to the basement once, weeks ago. It had two entrances. One you took from inside the house, and the other that opened up outside. For the past half an hour those in the manor had heard the wolf snarling and growling from the depths of the house, obviously smelling the vampires in the air, and she could all but feel his desire to get out there and destroy them for coming onto his land.

But could she do that to Bernard?

He was strong, of course. He was fighting in a war. What if he died, though? Would they blame her? Megamind had told her this is what she might have to do if push comes to shove, and the vampires were shoving very, very hard. Roxanne turned to Alice. "Keep watch. I'm letting him out."

She didn't have to explain who 'him' was. Alice only nodded. "Don't let him into the house." she whispered.

"I won't." Roxanne reassured her before leaving the group and hurrying down the long hall ways, to a door that was locked from the outside and sealed shut. Beyond the door she could hear movement, and heavy panting. Roxanne had never seen Bernard as a wolf, and she wondered what he would look like. Would he recognize her? He would have to, he had known her for so long, he knew her smell. He knew her face. She just prayed it was enough.

She pushed the door open after unlocking it, and shut the door behind her.

The smell was horrible.

Down the stairs she went, and she saw Bernard, harnessed and strapped up against a few of the walls. He had tripled in size, he was even larger then Wayne now. Brown fur covered him from head to doe, large ears were pinned back, and his brown eyes were narrowed as he gnawed at what she only assumed had once been a cow. But it was obvious he wasn't that interested since the second she came into view he stopped, and looked at her.

His eyes were the same, oddly. She could see the human spark deep within his eyes, but it was obvious the wolf was still in charge. He sniffed in her direction, and his tail thudded on the ground twice.

"Easy Bernard..." she whispered as she made her way to the other door that would lead outside. "I'm just... we need your help. You want to help, don't you?" Roxanne asked.

The werewolf whined, and tilted his head from side to side. Seeing such a monstrous, potentially deadly creature act like a puppy was almost amusing. It brought some semblance of calm to her heart, either way.

"Of course you do. You're a great guy, and a good dog, and I... I know you'll do fine out there. You're very strong, I can see from here..." indeed she could. The werewolf had muscles she knew the real Bernard did not have. He looked like he could knock a train off of its tracks with barely a flex of his forearms. Roxanne found the door and unlocked it, opening it up. But she still had to unstrap him, and from what she could tell that was done by snapping a clasp that was situated on his back. That would unlock the straps holding him in place, and he'd be free to move without restraint.

Roxanne gritted her teeth but very slowly approached the wolf, who was watching her, still sniffing the air.

He knows the smell. A foggy memory of so many hours spent talking fills his canine head. She brings good feelings. Happiness. Friend? Friend. Roxy. Nights talking about things. He remembers tears. Hers and his. She's been sad. But she's happy. This made his tail thump on the ground and he sniffed at her face once she was close enough, and Roxanne realized just how huge he was. Bernard, if he so wanted, could eat her head whole.

"Easy, here we go..." her hand found the clasp on his back and undid it.

Everything undid at once, and Bernard suddenly leaped away from her and shook himself. He sniffed the ground, and then the air. He smelt them, the demons, the monsters that dare walk on his property. Couldn't they smell his markings? They were enemies, and enemies had to be dealt with.

Roxanne pressed herself against the wall as the werewolf suddenly growled viciously, his pearly white fangs exposing themselves in the pale light and his eyes turned angry, vengeful. He opened his mouth and barked ferociously and bolted from the room entirely, out into the open air. Unable to help herself Roxanne followed and stood in the doorway as she watched the huge, hulking wolf that was one of her bests friends tear across the grass with purpose and jump the wall as if it was nothing.

Not a few seconds later she heard the screams, and saw some trees begin to topple from the sheer strength of the beast that was Bernard. Quickly she slammed the door shut again and rushed back upstairs.

She just prayed she'd done the right thing.

To be continued


	23. Farewell Father

Landing on a tree Megamind crouched, before jumping free of the tree in order to jump to another. Having learned in this very forest how to use the terrain to his advantage, he could have probably maneuvered through the trees with his eyes closed and would still never bump into anything, or anyone. This was something he had that the vampires didn't, and one could easily get lost in the thick, wild forest if you didn't have your senses around you.

Hearing movement he pressed himself as closely against a tree and watched as a few shadows drifted through the darkness. He barely gave them a few steps forward before he leapt around and swung his sword, and the vampires were headless seconds later. Their decapitated heads hisses were cut short, and he slammed his stake into their chests. Seconds later they were nothing but ash, and Megamind vanished into the darkness as he heard another group of vampires happen upon the place.

Locating their fallen kin they swore and screamed like bastard animals.

"He's here! Smell it, he's here!"

"He's everywhere how is he everywhere?"

"His stink. His horrible stink...!"

"Calm down brothers, calm. We're not animals." snapped one of them with short black hair. "Calm yourselves. Even if he gets through us, the Children won't be so easy to fell."

"The Children never met me." Megamind said, his voice seemingly echoing all around them. The four vampires spun around each other, as one of them suddenly transformed into a swarm of bats and flew outwards in all directions, trying to find him.

But in that instant Megamind was suddenly jumping out of the darkness. He slammed one stake dead centre into one of the vampires chests and as he was disintegrating he spun around and sliced one of the vampires from shoulder to hip, which sent a spurt of blood splashing into Megamind's face. He turned away though and grabbed his falling stake that had begun to fall from the destroyed vampire and spun again as one of the other vampires had just been moving to jump on him. It was down, and turning into ash, seconds later before Megamind swung the sword again on the already bleeding vampire, taking his arm and head off.

Suddenly the bats were upon him, hissing and screeching, flapping their wings and clawing at him with their tiny claws and teeth. Megamind grabbed the ends of his jacket and swung it up, and covered his head. The bats bounced against the leather, unable to bite through it. They finally began to swirl together, beginning to form the Voyeur vampire again.

When he swung his sword it came in contact with two small blades, blocking it from the vampire.

"You really are good." he complimented. "We've all heard tales of you..."

"Then I hope I don't disappoint." Megamind replied sarcastically. He pushed with the sword, causing the vampire to be pushed back and stumble over a tree root that stuck up out of the ground. Yelping the vampire tumbled, and Megamind lunged his sword down at the man.

His sword swung true, and it plunged into the stomach of the vampire. Opening its mouth it snarled in pain before throwing one of his smaller blades at Megamind. Swinging himself away the knife flew cleanly through his black leather jacket and just missed slicing open his shoulder. Megamind ran around another tree as the vampire staggered to his feet, blood dribbling down his front and staining his clothes.

"Face me, f-face me you... you little freak...!" spat the vampire.

"Funny you're calling me a freak." Megamind answered back as he climbed up one of the trees nimbly. "When you're the one who drink people's blood, or make them your brainless slaves."

"Hah!" laughed the vampire. "If you only knew the power."

"I've seen the power." Megamind answered bitterly. "I've seen it in the eyes of the vampires I kill. When they turn into ash, and I have to wipe their blood from my sword."

His sword suddenly came out of seemingly nowhere and the vampire screamed. It had cut clean through his back shoulder, through his lungs and heart, and came out of the middle of his chest. He stared, horrified, at the sword that was bloodied. Already, from the point of impact, his body was turning to ash.

"Know peaceful rest." Megamind's voice whispered in the man's ear before he became nothing but dust. He panted, before looking around and listened carefully to the darkness. That pressing feeling of anger and strength was moving quicker, gaining in speed. It could be the Children, or worse. He hadn't time to stand around and wait for them. Instead he took off into the darkness, not content to sit around and wait for backup.

He suddenly smelt something very familiar, and climbed up another tree as fast as he could. The tree was on the edge of a field but he used the dark clothing and the shadows to keep himself out of sight. What he expected was some vampires breaking out into the field but what he did get was at least twenty of them, all of them injured in some way, shape or form.

Leaping out from the trees after them, was Bernard.

The werewolf was frothing at the mouth, and his eyes were pure white from the hatred his species had long since dealt with thanks to vampires. He was bleeding from a few places, or was it blood from fallen vampires? It was hard to tell from here, but Megamind was already readying his weapons to help the werewolf out since it looked as though he had bitten off more than he could chew.

And then he ripped the head off not one, but two vampires with his jaws. Bernard savagely leapt from vampire to vampire, tearing and clawing, ripping and snarling. He was an animal, a crazed, angry animal that was protecting his property that was the manor. Maybe, deep down, he wanted to protect the one he loved, too.

Feeling he had watched enough, and had gotten his breath back, Megamind leaped down into the field and plunged a sword clean through an already suffering vampire.

He heard their voices, their hisses and screams of 'He's here' and other assorted phrases but he had no time to listen. Megamind ran around the werewolf, slicing and plunging his weapons into the vampires and Bernard felled them all who he didn't get. But since the vampires smelt dead, he didn't try to eat any of them. It would only make him sick if he did, and trying to pass a digested vampire limb was all but impossible once he became a human again once the sun would raise in eight hours.

Megamind, suffering a huge laceration to his back, fell to his knees and breathed shakily as where werewolf sniffed at the ground at the ash that now surrounded him. Sneezing once, the large wolf could have felled a house made of bricks if he so wanted to. He suddenly spotted the blue man, and a familiar smell tickled his nose. He knew this man.

His nose suddenly picked up the scent of more, and he growled powerfully, making the ground itself quake, before he was off and running back into the darkness, howling as he did.

"God." Megamind put his hand to his head and collapsed onto his rear, needing a moment. So far, the night had been non-stop. His emotions were on end, his senses were alert, and he was tired but he had no chance to rest because it felt like he was being crowded suddenly.

Lifting his gaze he saw why.

Ten vampires stood on the edge of the field, and all of them were no older than ten years old. Their skin was pale, almost albino, and their hair was thick black and hung down around their slender, small necks, and their clothes were nothing but simple white smocks that hung closely to their bodies. Unblinking black eyes watched him curiously, but you felt no tenderness or from these vampires.

They were the Children.

Never did they age any older than ten years old… they could live to be well over one hundred years old, yet their bodies refused to age any further than ten years old.

"We remember you." one of them said, her voice a soft, distant whisper.

"You were the boy." said another.

"He bled. We remember." said another boy.

"You're much bigger." said another one of the girl.

"Look at him. Is he scared?" asked one boy to his brother besides him.

"He doesn't smell scared."

"His blood smells strange. We don't like it. Do we have to eat him?" asked a girl.

"Only if he's defeated." said the first girl, and the ten of them suddenly smiled as one, showing sharp, pointed white teeth.

Megamind frowned at them as he slowly got to his feet, hand gripping his faithful sword besides him. "Defeated. So you're going to attack me?" he asked.

"No." answered the first girl. "He is."

The ten parted and dropped backwards into the darkness of the trees and Megamind watched as a person began to slowly walk out from the trees. The figure was tall, obviously strong by the wide shoulders, and walked with a confidence that Megamind recognized even through the darkness of the shadows. He felt his heart shatter within his chest and his stomach empty out when the man walked into the full moonlight, holding a familiar sword in his hand. The man was wearing a fashionable jacket that hung off of his shoulders, and a caravet tied neatly around his neck. His clothing looked tailored, well tended to, and almost new if not for the mild rips and tears to the material here and there.

Course the man could show up wearing rags but Megamind would still recognize him.

"Father." Megamind whispered hoarsely.

It was him. He knew the man's face anywhere, and it hadn't aged a day. His eyes were blue and staring ahead vacantly, as if not even fully aware of where he was, or who he was dealing with. The scar running along the right side of his neck was like an extra kick to his soul and another dagger in his heart.

"He has been a great help these many years." said a voice from the trees. "He is the greatest swordsman we know."

Megamind took a few steps back as his Father advanced on him, drawing the sword he knew all the details of.

"He is afraid." said a boy's voice.

"So afraid." agreed a girl, happily.

"We can smell it." whispered a boy's voice that made it seem like it came right into his ear.

"I am _not_ afraid!" Megamind shouted, drawing his sword quickly and held it out in front of him. "Father."

"Ethelwine." his Father's voice sounded distant, as if coming out of a cave in the far distance. "Prepare."

Those were the only words he said. The same words he used to use before they would spar together all those years ago. Suddenly he sprung forward with a speed and strength that defied his age, thanks to the bite to his neck, and brought his sword downwards. Megamind retaliated, blocking the plunge, and knocked it back before swinging his sword at the man. But his Father was already moving to block it, and did so flawlessly. Quickly, Megamind glanced up at his Father's eyes, and they were nothing like he remembered them. He remembered a man with warmth, fondness, and love. His eyes now were empty, hollow, and cold. His Father was gone, and who he was fighting was nothing but a poor imitation of the man who had loved him and raised him.

"Father _please_." Megamind said as he spun away from another attack and hissed as the sword sliced off a good chunk of his leather jacket. His sword was always sharp. "You aren't yourself. You're _stronger_ than this. You _have_ to be. You were the strongest man in the world to me, to Wayne, and to Minion-"

"Oh this is cute." said a girl's voice in the darkness.

"He's trying to _reason_ with him." said a boy.

"Try something else." said another boy.

Megamind screamed as the sword suddenly plunged into his left shoulder, but brought up his own to block it from going any further. Blood pooled against the sword and his clothes, and he kicked his Father back off of him. The older man stepped back, his white moustache as pristine as it always used to be. If it wasn't for his dead eyes, you would swear he was normal. Seeing the man he admired and loved all his life reduce to nothing more than a puppet for these creatures disgusted him.

"What have they done to you?" Megamind asked, blocking another strike from the man before leaping away. "You can break this. Roxanne did. You can!"

"Stupid boy." said a girl, giggling with glee. "Once they have been controlled once, we can get back to the vampire who controlled them who is inside their mind whenever we get close enough. You should know that. If you have been controlled once, we can and will control you again."

This made Megamind's heart freeze. Hal had gotten control of Roxanne once... did that mean that he still had a hold of her, deep down? What if a vampire got close to her, he could take control of his girlfriend and make her do anything they wanted. The horror in his mind took a chunk out of his concentration, and his Father plunged the sword into his other shoulder now. He spun away, panting heavily. Roxanne, he had to get back to Roxanne but he had to... to...

"Worried now. His emotions are so cute." whispered a girl.

Gritting his teeth Megamind suddenly spun and swung his sword at his Father. Of course his Father blocked it immediately, expertly. But Megamind swung his sword again; the rage and anger that had been building in his heart ever since learning his Father could have been changed. This amazing, proud, strong man being bended and controlled like a puppet by the very monsters he had swore a war against. The anger was unrelenting; it was like a tidal wave. And he screamed as he swung at the old man, who kept trying to block the swings. His wounds stung from pain, and it didn't help when he swung his sword again and again, gripping the hilt in both of his hands now.

"You saved me!" he screamed, "You got me out of Hell itself! You named me! You loved me! You taught me everything! You told me what to do! I hate I have to! I hate that they did this! I hate them! I can't let them control you anymore! Not anymore!"

Still his Father said nothing, but he could see the misplaced steps. Seeing his chance, Megamind took it. His sword swung true, and he plunged it into his Father's chest. The sword went clean through him and the instant he did, all the children suddenly screamed into the darkness. His Father, though, was eerily silent. Sharp metal pinned him to the ground, and his eyes stared up at Megamind, unblinking at first.

Suddenly, in a blink, the warmth was back. The control broken, his Father looked at him.

Already he was beginning to turn to ash as the life he had been trapped in for these long fifteen years began to end. He looked into his son's tearful eyes and gave a small, broken smile.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered quietly. "Thank... you..."

"I love you." Megamind shuddered as his Father fell to nothing but ash, and he was left there holding his sword down into the ground. Something glinted in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to see his Father's sword laying there on the grass. His Father's promise suddenly erupted in the back of his mind, the memory of the man who told him the day that he finally defeated him, the sword would be his.

Ignoring the shrieks of the children, Megamind picked up his Father's sword and stood up shakily, blood running down both of his arms as he now held a sword in each hand. It felt like... oddly... that his Father was holding his hand. There was strength in this sword; it was a sword that had been handed down through the generations. It reeked of vampires blood, though lately it had been tainted by his own.

"Come out. Didn't you want to eat me?" Megamind called to the darkness. "Or are you the ones running scared now?"

He got nothing but sobs from the ten Children.

"COME ON!" Megamind screamed, rage building once more. "YOU TOOK HIM! TRY TO TAKE ME! COME ON!"

The Children suddenly silenced, and he slid his own sword into its sheath but held firmly onto his Fathers. They were circling him in the trees, he just knew it. These Children knew how to run and move without leaving any footsteps. But he knew how to listen, his Father had taught him how to. Slowly he walked, and after just two steps one of the Children leapt out of the darkness, fangs bared and eyes nothing but slits.

The sword sliced open her throat and the girl fell to the floor, screaming before he drew his gun, aimed it at her chest, and pulled the trigger. The smell, like in the lab, was horrendous. Her chest collapsed in on itself, and she became ash seconds later.

"Ah. Not so tough." he whispered as he clicked, changing the barrel before spinning around expertly, his sword plunging through the chest of another one of the Children. He twisted it into the young boys chest, and smiled down at him. "Your Father won't be happy. Will he?"

"Father will drink your blood!" screamed a girl as she, and a sister, leapt upon him.

Megamind yelped as they bit down against his leg and shoulder. Already wounded from his fight with his Father, he staggered back but slammed a fist into one of the girls. She fell off of him, screaming as she did, before he swung his sword and sliced open her head. Still she screamed with undead pain and fury as her sibling kept biting at his leg. The sword came down, and her pain ended.

The Child at his ankle suddenly shrieked and fell away from him. Lifting her hands, she touched at her mouth. Her lips were burning, and began to actually melt. Lifting her gaze she stared at the blue man, tears running down her eyes.

"Who would have thought?" Megamind asked quietly. "My blood attacks and destroys vampire cells. Fate's funny that way." one stab later, she was gone.

What followed was all but a massacre. The Children attacked with all their strength, and Megamind was sure he sprained one of his arms when he ended up thrown against a tree but just as with the other vampires he used the surroundings to his advantage. He felled his fifth, sixth, seventh, eight and ninth Child easily, despite the injuries his body was sustaining.

The tenth, and last one, he found standing in the middle of the field when he returned to it.

She was standing amongst the remains of her siblings and other vampires, and looked at him with an angry, pouty expression. "Father will be very mad. He loves us." she said.

"Your Father can not love." Megamind said quietly, standing across from the girl. "It's impossible."

"He'll be wanting you dead." she whispered. "He won't stop until you're dead."

"_Good_." he whispered as he pulled his sword up. "Because I won't stop until he's dead." before he plunged his sword forward.

To be continued


	24. The Fire Commands You

Inside the manor, the world outside suddenly became very, very quiet. Zeke, and his twin brother Alexander, dared to get near one of the second floor windows to stare out at the darkness. Minion, who had returned to the Manor not half an hour ago, had moved to clean all the blood and bits of flesh that had imbedded itself in his suit. That meant he had closed himself off in the lab, but had told them in case of emergency to call him as soon as possible.

"It's stopped." Zeke whispered to his brother. Angel, the young girl who's mother was somewhere out there in the middle of the city, hurried up to join them and peer out at the night. Of course in the distance the skyline of Metro City illuminated the dark skies, and gave away no hint of a war that was taking place. If you didn't know any better you could almost call the sight beautiful.

"You three get away from there!" Alice rushed forward, and grabbed their wrists, pulling them away from the window. "It's not safe. Angel, come here." she instructed, and the blonde girl hurried up to the woman but not before casting another glance out of the window.

"But listen!" Zeke insisted.

Roxanne moved closer to the window, and listened as the little boy said. For the last couple of hours, outside there had been shrieks and screams, combined with childish laughter. Now and then she heard the howls of a wolf in the distance, but she knew who that was and so the sound brought on no feeling of threat or fear. However, while that feeling of dread, was still hanging in the air. That horrible rich, sinking feeling would no doubt never leave the air this late night. Either way, she gave a small, shaky smile.

"I think that's a good thing, don't you?" she asked.

"It might be a small victory." Alice whispered, holding the boys close still as Angel sought shelter behind her. "But we still have to be on our guards, Lady and my husband are still out there as is Ethelwine and everybody else."

"I understand, really I do." Roxanne replied before she turned away from the window and approached the woman. "But if this gives us some kind of respite, if even for a minute I'm willing to take it, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, yes of course." replied Alice. "I'm sorry. Tonight hasn't been easy on anybody so far, least of all us."

"I know." she sighed.

Downstairs the front doors suddenly swung open, and the women and children rushed to the top of the stairs and stared down them to see who it was. From up here, all they could hear was footsteps from one singular person entering the Manor. Roxanne, holding her sword in hand, made her way down the stairs quickly and quietly. Seeing how late it was, there was no shadows giving away who it was, but when she rounded the corner she gasped when she saw who it was.

Megamind was leaning against one of the walls looking worse than she had ever seen him before. He had bruises and deep lacerations to his face, and she could see his blood (and possibly defeated vampires blood too) smeared on his clothes. The worst of it was two pools of blood leaking down his arms. Following the blood trail with her eyes she saw how one of his hands appeared to be all but ripped open, resulting in a horrible looking wound. His clothing had been ripped, torn, and sliced at, and it looked like his right ankle had been bitten almost down to the bone. Just how he had walked here at all, unassisted, was a mystery.

"Megamind!" Roxanne gaped, rushing down the stairs to him.

"Oh my God." Alice rushed after her to help and being a doctor she knew she had a job ahead of her. "Come here you poor... what on Earth happened out there?"

His green eyes moved from Roxanne who had been gingerly helping him to move across the floor. Hearing the question he looked at Alice for a moment, and tried to answer, honestly. He tried to tell the two of them about the vampires who had jumped him in the suburbs, how Minion had helped him, and how the Children had been using his own Father as a puppet in their stupid game of War against the Family... and how he had killed his own Father. Try as he might, the words just wouldn't come.

Too much had happened, though. Too much pain to get across with pitiful words. So only tears and exhaustion left him. Tears ran down his face, stinging his cuts as his shoulderes shook as the sobs left him.

Roxanne, for a moment, was in shock. She had never seen him cry before and it was a jarring thing to see. Despite having seen him in all manner of moods, joy, happiness, bliss, angry, frustration and determination (not to mention how he handled himself when around the rest of the Family0 she had never seen him utterly shatter before her like now. She wanted to ask what was wrong, why was he crying, but Alice gave her a look that said not to. This wasn't the time nor the place when he was this badly injured.

The sound of metal clattering caught Roxanne's attention and she looked down at the ground as Alice led the sobbing man away, and she saw two swords lying on the floor. Both of them were soaked with blood, leaving stains on the pristine carpet. No doubt Minion would have to see to the stain removal from the carpet.

Megamind hadn't left with two swords, had he? He'd left with the one he had showed her weeks ago. The second was new, and it was stained with blood just like the first. Even though she had never seen the sword in person before she could not help but recognize it. Megamind had detailed it to her in the past, telling her of the beautiful old design, and how it had a cross hanging from its hilt. The sword of his Father. The sword his Father had promised him if he ever bested him at sword fighting before he vanished, taken by the vampires into the darkness of the world.

Roxanne didn't have to wonder how he had gotten hold of the sword anymore, seeing them here and his tears on his face told her everything. Instead she gently picked up the two swords, treated them as if they were veterans of war, and carried them solemnly through to the dining hall and lay them on the table.

"What's that Roxanne?" Zeke asked, having hurried forward with his twin and Angel to peer at the swords she had set on the table. "Oh wow!" he gaped, "Is that...?"

"It is." Alexander whispered. "It's his sword."

Angel reached forward to touch it, but the brothers grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away before Roxanne could voice her warning.

"You're not allowed to touch it." Zeke said quietly. "That's uncle Ethelwine's sword now, and it looks dirty. If you cut yourself with that sword you could become a vampire."

The little girl nodded, and Roxanne knew that she was in good hands with her cousins who could explain things to her. It was better that way, since Angel no doubt would listen to her cousins better than to her, who she had only met the day before. Hearing her name being called by Alice, Roxanne went to assist her in putting her boyfriend back together.

It was after two in the morning and so far Roxanne had helped Alice, Lady, and her father Anthony deal with many injured Family members who came through the door. There were simple injuries, but of course there were the horrendous ones like the poor man who had lost his entire right arm to a Berserker vampire. He had gone into shock, and Anthony had spent hours on him trying to save him.

Roxanne, though, was more interested in the blue man who was already standing and walking around.

He hadn't said a word since coming out of being tended to. Megamind had stitches at the back of his head, his hands, and his ankle which had almost been ripped down to the bone. She had helped Alice with him, and had been surprised to discover Megamind had spent many hours taking his own blood in case of an emergency and he would need it. Turns out his blood was while similar, was also just as different to human blood. If he received a blood transfusion he could become incredibly sick, possibly even die. Now, though, he was standing in the library and just how he could still walk was a mystery to her, but Alice had told her Ethelwine could always deal with vast amounts of pain as if it was nothing.

She couldn't leave him alone for long, though.

"Megamind?" she asked softly as she approached him in the library.

He didn't answer her at first, instead he continued to look down at the book he was holding in his bandaged hands.

"Megamind, please. It isn't... easy what you had to do tonight."

"Understatement." he replied quietly, but with a small, sad smile on his face as he looked at the book in his bandaged hands.

"But your Father's at peace now. That's what matters, isn't it?" she asked softly, moving towards him and traced her finger against his unbruised right cheek. He sighed, and shut the book before leaning into the small touch, and reached up with a hand to grasp at her wrist gently. His eyes slipped shut and he suddenly looked far more exhausted than she thought he had seconds ago.

"It is." Megamind mumbled. "But there's something... I have to do."

"What now?" she asked, exasperated. "You felled the ten Children, killed at least twenty or more vampires tonight, and freed your Father's spirit. What else is there possibly left for you to do tonight?"

"Save the woman I love."

Roxanne looked as confused as she felt. "What?"

"One of the Children told me something I didn't know." he whispered quietly. "You were controlled by Hal, weren't you?"

"...yes...?" Roxanne asked quietly, obviously uncomfortable with the topic of conversation.

"What did he do to you?" Megamind asked.

"You know I don't want to answer that-" she started.

"You have to. Did he touch you? Kiss you?" his tone surprised her, and Roxanne realized that this wasn't something they could not talk about.

Shivering, Roxanne told him. How Hal had charmed himself into her apartment, how he had played on her emotions, and how she had hugged him. His hands on her body, his lips against hers and it was obvious she didn't like talking about it. She wasn't even aware that she was hugging her arms to herself until his arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she quickly held him. "It was like a nightmare."

"I know." Megamind whimpered. "But I need to save you. You've been controlled once... and they could do it again, easier than before."

"W-what?" Roxanne asked, feeling her heart freeze in her chest. What did he mean by that?

"Any vampire could just take control of you, now that Hal has. I need to fix this."

"How?"

"Exorcism."

Roxanne stared at him blankly.

"What?" she asked, eyes wide. "Exorcism?" that was not a safe thing to do, if ever. She had done a few articles on exorcisms taking place by the deeply religious people, thinking they were helping their mentally sick family members but only went on to worsen their mental states.

"I have to perform an exorcism. Hal is... he's still in here." he reached up and pressed his finger to her forehead gently. "Imagine your mind as a house. Hal's been able to break in, and he's still lurking around in there. If any other vampire happened to come on by, he would throw open the front door to allow them to walk in and take control of you. I need to get in there, kick him out, and lock your doors to all vampires again."

The idea that Hal, or a remnant of him, being inside her brain was almost enough for Roxanne to want to throw up. However she fought that desirer back down her throat and shuddered in horror, breathing harshly.

"I know how to fix it. I can get him out of you, forever." Megamind whispered.

"Please. Please oh God. I don't want... I don't want to be controlled again. Never again!" Roxanne pleaded, hating the panic in her voice but unable to stop it. "It was horrible, I can't have it happen again!"

"It's okay. It's okay... come with me." he took her hand into his and led her from the room. Roxanne watched him carefully, since while she was obviously concerned for what he had just told her she still worried over him. Megamind looked exhausted, and those bandages on his blue skin stood out harshly. Yet Alice had done a marvellous job of stitching up his hand and ankle, now though, they both needed time to heal. Time, as it seemed, was hard to come by.

She soon found herself lying on a four poster bed, staring up at the ceiling in the bedroom which she had been calling home for the past few weeks. Megamind stood by the bed, holding the beads in his hands but nothing else. A part of her had expected him to hold a Bible, or something of use. She wondered just what it would be like. Would her head spin around like in that horrible movie? Would Hal's voice come out of her mouth? Oh god if she threw up pea soup or did horrible things with a crucifix she'd...

"Forget that movie." Megamind's voice spoke to her softly, calming her nerves easily. "That's 100% Hollywood. Now..." he reached out and placed his hand to her forehead and smiled down at her. "Relax."

"Easier said than done." Roxanne mumbled up at him, hands resting on her stomach.

"Go back to this morning." Megamind spoke softly again, "Laying in your bed with me. There was nothing wrong with the world. All we knew was each others body in that moment in time. No vampires. No war. No death. Only us. Only our love." he paused for a moment and gave a weak laugh. "I sound like somebody out of a romance novel, don't I?" he asked.

Roxanne shared the small laugh and reached up and covered his hand with her own, before kissing his palm. "S'all right Romeo... given the situation, you can be forgiven." she whispered.

"Oh good."

She let her eyes shut, and she sighed heavily as she allowed the memory return just as he had instructed. The early morning light, the smell of sweat and bodies in the air and the warmth of his body close against hers. Nothing at all between them, the air still rich with the sense of their love. Roxanne could almost feel his hands running down her body in slow, easy circles and it brought on a deep sigh of content from her lips. The memories, these thoghts, brought her a great sense of calm and sudden exhaustion. She was so exhausted that she didn't even notice the door to the room creak open.

Zeke, Alexander and Angel watched through the door. They had over heard about an exorcism, and wanted to watch. Maybe she'd do something cool like levitate! That'd be awesome to watch, but they couldn't let uncle Ethelwine see them or else they'd be in all kinds of trouble and-

"You can come in."

His voice startled the children, and Alexander began to back away quickly while Angel gripped at Zeke's shirt and tried to hide her head in his back.

"It's all right." Megamind said, turning his head to look at them and smiled slightly. "Come on."

"Really?" Zeke asked.

"You might have to do this one day." Megamind said as he caressed Roxanne's cheek gently. "Be quiet, though... I can't afford to be distracted while I'm doing this." he knew what could happen if he failed. Hal could become that intwined with Roxanne's mind that he could never properly be locked away. He heard them enter the room and shuffle up against the wall besides the door that they had come through. They looked tired, but still highly interested in what was going to happen here so much so it woke them up.

Megamind eased himself into a chair besides the bed and held the beads of his Father in his hands tightly. They had been blessed by so many men and women, dipped in oils, water, flashed through fire and brought a strength nobody could truly understand or try to.

"O Lord, by your might defend my cause, hear my prayers, harken to the word of my mouth..." he began, speaking softly and quietly in the dim light of the room. "Defender of the human race, look down in pity on this your servant, Roxanne Ritchi..."

He shut his eyes and when he opened them he was still in the room, but it had undergone a sudden and horrifying transformation. The curtains were now shut and torn in multiple places, there were no lights on, no children. On the floor was old wood, stained with blood, and with obvious cracks and even whole planks of wood missing in action. The room smelt of decay, as if nobody had been in the room for years.

Looking to the bed, Megamind discvered even the blankets and pillows looked like they were over one hundred years old. Roxanne's sleeping form, eithr way, lay on them and he stared at her body with a sense of shock. She looked absolutely beautiful, and peaceful, like she had looked this morning. Her beauty was like a shimmering light in the rooms doom and gloom, so much so it almost made him blind to the man who was sitting besides her on the bed. It was Hal, and he didn't seem to even know that Megamind was in the same room as him at all. He was watching Roxanne sleep, and didn't look at all like he had looked when Megamind had met him at the gala. He looked slimmer, now, more in shape and possibly handsome yet at the same time he looked just... wrong. The man suddenly smiled and Megamind saw sharp teeth as the man reached out and boldly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"An honest woman fallen prey to unclean spirits." Megamind continued, not questioning how he came to be standing at the foot of the bed, wearing a brown hood that covered his entire body.

Hal suddenly sat up on the bed and hissed violently at the intruder in his domain, a man he knew despite having never seen him before. He smelt famliar, his blood smelt strange, but knew despite all odds.

"Though serpents rise up against me, and devils seek my life watch over me. Durga, lend strength to my arm and fill my hand with weapons..." Megamind suddenly pulled a flaming sword created of nothing but fire from his robes and held it aloft in front of him in the darkness that now retreated from his sword. Hal screamed at the sight of it, and brought up an arm to protect his horrible face from the flames that burned his eyes.

"..._THAT I MAY TURN BACK EVIL UPON MY FOES!_" Megamind screamed now, voice filling with strength he hadn't possessed before. "_TO CAST THEM OUT OR BY YOUR WEAPONS DESTROY THEM!_"

Hal screamed again and backed away from Roxanne's body and began climbing the wall, trying to get out of the light caused by the sword. His feet and hands clung at the wall as he climbed it, eyes having grown used to the flames despite the pain, and snarled at Megamind.

Still Megamind continued. "_BAAL-HADAD! FIRE OF HINNOM! LOFAHAM! SOLOMAN! IYOUEL! IYOSENAOUI!_" he screamed the names of the Gods, and he felt strength enter the sword and his arm, sending large flames licking towards the ceiling, lighting up the entire room and no longer did Hal have anywhere to hide.

Alexander, Zeke and Angel watched as their uncle of high renown continued to sit besides the sleeping woman, making no attempt at moving. She too didn't appear to want to levitate, spew green pea soup, or anything cool like that. Still, he continued to speak in hushed tones, running his fingers along the beads of his necklace in quiet concentration.

"Here the lightning the Cyclops made by Zeus, to drive Typhon, the Dragon, into the depths of the Earth..."

"Nothing's happening." Angel spoke.

"Shh!" Zeke put his finger to his lips.

"Do not think to despise my command because you know me to be a sinner," Megamind continued to speak softly in this room but in the room of Roxanne's mind and soul he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"_IT IS THE LORD COMMANDS YOU!_" he screamed as Hal flew from one wall to the other, screeching in terror and horror at the flames, and the demands being made of him. "_EA! UTU! SHAMASH COMMANDS YOU! SAINT MICHAEL AND HIS LEGIONS OF ANGELS COMMAND YOU! ANU AND HIS COURT OF HEAVEN COMMAND YOU! THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS COMMANDS YOU!_"

Megamind suddenly, finally, moved towards Hal with the flaming sword. Hal, once again, doubled over and covered his poor eyes from the flames and the commands. He had finally fallen from the walls, and had shrunk in size. No longer was he tall, strong or handsome. Nor was he the way he looked before, it was as if a balloon that had been partly deflated. His skin was saggy, his eyes black, and he was shuddering and convulsing. Megamind walked towards him, the flaming sword still held above his head but making no move to swing it at him, no matter how badly the desire within him to slice this man's throat was. That wasn't part of the ritual.

"_I CAST YOU OUT, UNCLEAN SPIRIT! BY THE MYSTERIES! BY THE COMING OF THE LORD FOR JUDGEMENT! HARKEN THEREFORE AND TREMBLE IN FEAR, YOU ENEMIES OF THE FAITH, YOU FOES OF THE HUMAN RACE, SEDUCERS OF MEN, BETRAYERS OF NATION, I CAST YOU OUT! ALONE WITH ALL YOUR LIES, SNARES, FALSE PROMISES, AND EVERY SPECTER FROM HELL!_"

Zeke sighed, growing bored. Nothing cool was happening at all.

"This really is boring." he muttered. Alexander cast his twin an angry look, and he mumbled another apology. Their uncle had said this was very important, something integral, and something they had to understand and know of.

"I adjure thee, ancient serpent..." Megamind whispered, yet in Roxanne's mind, he was continuing his advance on the shrinking form of Hal, flaming sword roaring from the faith and anger in the air.

"_TYPHON! EREBUS! DRUJS! ABOMINABLE CREATURE! BACK! HE CASTS YOU OUT!_"

Hal was now backed into a corner, with nowhere to go. He was sobbing, but still angry.

"_HE CASTS YOU OUT!_" Megamind screamed. "_HE, FROM WHOSE SIGHT NOTHING IS HIDDEN! HE WHO EXPELS YOU WHO PREAPRES YOU FOR THE BOTTOMLESS PIT! BACK!_"

"No, no... It wasn't... meant to be this way..." Hal pleaded angrily. "She's mine, she was meant to be mine..."

Megamind longed to tell him otherwise but to derail from the scriptures, to answer his pleads with words other than those written down, would destroy the ritual and loose Roxanne to him possibly forever. "_BACK!_" the alien thrust the sword forward again. "_I CALL UPON THEE THAT DIDST ESTABLISH THE SEA AND THE DRY LAND, THAT DIDST DIVIDE LIGHT FROM DARKNESS, EYE OF THE WORLD, LORD OF SPIRITS,_" suddenly a door erupted in front of Hal, called forth by Megamind. It was pushing Hal out of the room entirely into a smaller room that had just now begun to form behind the red head. And no matter how badly the remnants of the demon was trying to remain within the main room, close to Roxanne, its eternal jail would be this room. His power wasn't that strong, not yet. It never would be, now. The life was being drained out of him, burned away by the flame of the sword that very well might be Michael the Archangel's own.

"_SHUT THIS DOOR IN THE FACE OF THINE ENEMY!_" Megamind pushed the door shut and it slammed on Hal. "_BIND IT WITH MIGHTY LOCKS AND CHAINS, FIRE, AND SIGNS!_"

"He's doing something!" Zeke said.

Indeed he was. Megamind, moving of his own accord, reached forward and traced his fingers on Roxanne's chest. He was drawing a design and the children were shocked to see steam slowly lift from where his fingers touched her. The sign was exactly the same as the one Megamind drew with the sword on the door, of what looked like a table to some drawn from the side, but it was curved. Beautiful as it was mysterious.

"As smoke is driven away, so is he driven. As wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before the Gods."

Megamind withdrew his hand from Roxanne, just as he withdrew from the door that he had sealed shut with the same sign. There was no sounds behind the locked door, and suddenly the wall that the door had been created on began to close over the door, eternally locking Hal away. He broke into a small, shaky smile before his eyes rolled back into his head. In the real world, his eyes did the same thing, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Uncle Ethelwine!" the children gasped since their uncle suddenly collapsed. Angel ran off to find Lady or Alice since they knew he had suffered a lot the past night and this might be in relation to all his injuries. If he knocked his head in the wrong place he would be on his back for days and they couldn't afford somebody like him to be out of commission. Zeke and Alexander sat him up carefully against the bed, and had to give a heavy sigh of relief when his eyes slowly slid open.

The shadows and the horrible beast that had been Hal, once, was gone. The strength and power in his arm and body was fading, but it was not feeling he would ever forget.

They yelped as he suddenly dragged himself to his feet, and climbed onto the bed. He could hear their questions as to whether or not he was okay, but he hadn't the mind to speak to them just yet. His main priority was Roxanne, who was still laying asleep on the bed. Megamind lay besides Roxanne, hand shaking, as he looked down at her. Upon her chest, looking like an old scar though she hadfa only just acquired it seconds ago, was the mark. He watched as it slowly faded into nothing, and her eyes suddenly shot open. She looked at him, eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.

"Megamind?" she asked quietly.

"It's done." Megamind told her quietly. "You're safe, now. I promise."

Even if she had no memory of anything happening... she knew he was right. She broke out into a sudden smile, laughed weakly, and hugged him tightly to her body that was his and his alone, as tears ran down her face.

To be continued


	25. Fetch the Hound

He had seen so much pain this night, and he felt pity like he had never felt before. This was a war that their Family had been battling for so long, since forever, but he never thought that he would be in the middle of it one day. It was a foolish wish, a stupid dream, to even hope to think that the war would never happen in his time. Now his brother was ordering people, quite possibly, to their deaths. He didn't hate his brother, how could he, but he couldn't help but think there may have been another way.

But then he realized there was none, which made seeing his family members suffer even more painful.

During his umpteenth visit bringing Lady back to the Manor to collect more bandages and the like, Wayne happened to catch a glimpse of something down in the trees that surrounded the Manor. With everything slowed down (but not entirely frozen like statues), since he was going so fast, he saw a large massive wolf being set upon by several vampires.

He felt his heart leap up into his throat and he wanted to abandon the medical mission given to him and go down there to do something but he had to help Lady. That was his job, wasn't it? And he had gotten a call needing medical assistance out near the lake front properties and it was very bad, possibly life threatening, meaning his trip to the Manor was even more integral than normal.

Why couldn't he be in two places at once?

Arriving at the Manor he let Lady down as he looked around the dining room where the Family members who needed rest were sitting. He saw Zeke and Alexander sitting with their parents who had luckily survived the night thus far. Little Angel still appeared to be without the presence of her mother, and was hanging around anyone who would offer her a lap to sit on.

Wayne checked in on the 'hospital' room that the Manor had and felt his stomach turn when he saw how many people were here. He watched as Lady's mother was tending to somebody he couldn't see, before she slowly pulled the white but blood stained sheet up and covered their head. His stomach felt itself bottom out within him and his heart freeze, and he turned away from the scene and spotted his brother walking down the stairs.

He'd seen him look worse. There were bandages to his head, hands, ankle, and who knew what kind of bruises he had beneath his clothes.

But when he reached his brother, and opened his mouth, he was shocked at what he was saying.

"Why did you let Bernard out?" he demanded, probably louder than he had thought he would, "What gave you the right to put his life in danger like this?"

Megamind turned to look up at his brother with a look of surprise. "What?"

"Bernard!" Wayne shouted, pointing towards the door. "He's out there! This was never his war to be a part of you know that!"

"Not a part..." Megamind blinked in shock, before frowning. "This is his war!"

"No, no it isn't!" snapped back Wayne.

"Yes, yes it is." replied his brother, before slamming a finger into his chest. "You made it his war the night you took pity on a werewolf and brought him here! YOU pulled him into this!"

"I didn't... I didn't do that so he could be involved in this!" Wayne argued, "He needed help and I gave it to him!"

Megamind was rubbing his poor finger, having momentarily forgotten how tough his brother was. "And exposed our family and our ways to him in the process. You brought him into this, Wayne."

"I'm sorry!" Roxanne's voice startled Wayne and he turned to see the woman walking down the stairs, eyes wide. "I, I'm the one who let him out of the basement," she explained, "But I thought that, that it was all right?" she looked at Megamind. "Haven't you ever let him out before?"

The two brothers stood in silence.

"You said I could let him out!" Roxanne said to Megamind, "You said he'd been trained!"

"Wait, you let him out?" Wayne asked, looking horrified.

"I did." she replied, feeling the same dreadful sense of fear beginning to grip her.

"And he didn't hurt you?" he asked.

"Obviously..."

"I keep telling you he recognizes smells." Megamind said calmly. "We've been with him for eight years, Roxanne is his best friend, of course he'd know her smell. And we both know how territorial he gets when vampires roam the woods, he goes crazy in there. Why not use his abilities while we can?" he asked.

"Because he could be killed!" Wayne shot back, "I have to go help him, now! And bring him back because what happens when the sun comes up soon, brother?" he asked, walking closer to Megamind who didn't step back from the looming presence of his older brother. "He becomes weak, and human again. He'll stand no chance."

Megamind frowned. "I could go get him, you know you have a job."

"No, I have to go get him. I'm the one who loves him, I'm the one who helped him believe he's more than just a monster. I'm the one who took care of him that night we first met him so I'm not going to let you be the one to bring him back here. I'm going to." Wayne's voice was that of a stubborn man who wouldn't listen to reason, and for a brief moment Megamind could hear the shadow of their Father's voice in Wayne's words.

He was stubborn too.

The blue alien's eyes suddenly opened wider. Should he tell Wayne about thier Father now? What about Minion, who was helping the people within the house? What of everyone who was gathered? He didn't know what to do. But if he upset Wayne any more, he might jepoardize the mission on the Family. Shuddering, he sighed, and nodded.

"All right... the sun up isn't too far away. I suggest you go save your boyfriend." Megamind said. "But only after dropping Lady off at the lake front, all right?"

"On it."

It was seconds later Megamind and Roxanne were at the door, Wayne and Lady having already vanished from sight.

"Why didn't you tell him about your Father?" Roxanne asked quietly, holding his hand in hers.

"I'm going to. But once this night is over and we can all properly mourn the dead." Megamind replied quietly. "And... hopefully after we bring Dracula down."

"Do you really think you can do it?" she asked.

"Oh please." Megamind snorted and leaned in closer to her, and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "This Family's been doing this for generations, and we'll be doing it for generations more if we have to until we finally vanquish him."

Roxanne frowned, but quickly kissed his cheek. "You need to rest."

Megamind sighed and nuzzled his forehead against her temple gently, wishing he could properly rest but knew deep down the second he would lay down somebody would need him. That's the way things were...

~*~

"Bernard? Bernard? Where are you? Answer me, if... if you can?"

Wayne had landed in the woods that surrounded the Manor, and was back where he had swore he had seen Bernard just minutes before but by now, the werewolf was gone. Moving across the lawn he observed ash that clumped in the dewy grass, thick with red blood and when he spotted brown fur snagged on tree bark Wayne couldn't help but gasp.

Most of the trees in the area showed signs of stress, whole branches knocked or ripped off of their bases. He knelt to pick up one tree branch seamlessly in his strong hands, and ran his thumb over the bloodied wood. "Jesus." he mumbled.

In all his years knowing Bernard, he had never truly seen him set loose on the world. It was by sheer luck that he and Megamind had happened upon the newly turned werewolf on his first full moon. Since then, it was Wayne who had helped Bernard come to grips with what he was and that when the moon was full he had to be locked away in case he got out and hurt somebody innocent. Bernard hadn't wanted to kill anyone (no matter how much he joked about it darkly), or turn another into a monster like himself, so he had gone along with the plan.

Bernard's transformations were never pretty to witness. His flesh would bulge and stretch as the muscles beneath his skin would grow and flex. The finger nails would grow rapidly to match his growing hands and he soon would have impressive, deadly looking claws that were as deadly as sharpened knives. The shape of his skull itself would change shape, a particularly painful thing to live through, combined with his muscles. His teeth were literally pushed out of his gums entirely, replaced with sharp teeth befitting a wolf, meaning there was blood pouring out of his mouth.

On top of all that, there was the fur that grew out of his skin. It covered him from nose to tail. The transformation, all of it, happened over a span of only a minute, or less.

It all undid itself when the sun finally began to bring light to the skies. His muscles would deflate, his skin would tighten, his spine would shorten itself back in to his body, skull would return to its normal shape, and the wolf teeth would fall out only to have normal human teeth return. The transformation both into a werewolf and back was incredibly painful, hence why the days after a change Bernard would be exhausted emotionally and physically.

To have it happen, out here, with vampires around would be the end of Bernard's life. They would smell his human blood taking over from the wolf, know he was weak and open to attack. He would be killed in seconds, unless they wanted to 'play' with the dog.

Wayne wouldn't let that happen, ever.

"Bernard!" he screamed again, the distress in his voice even more striking as he began to run through the woods. How was there sound absolutely everywhere? The vampires were swarming, still, no matter how many were being felled by his Family. Where had they been hiding all this time? Underground? In the open? How could they be so blind?

A harsh loud yelp filled the air and Wayne froze. Turning in the direction of the sound, Wayne ran as fast as he could.

It was happening in such a small space, with large, old trees pushing in from all angles and sides. Their bark was rough and torn open by strong claws, blood splattered the wood, signs of a fight that was not fair. And in-between it all, was the werewolf. He was licking at a wound on his arm, and around him lay nothing but ash, and Berserker remains ripped to shreds.

Wayne stepped forward and the second his foot touched the ground Bernard's large head spun around, ears alert, eyes open and bared his teeth savagely. Even if he knew Bernard couldn't hurt him, Wayne still froze and took a few steps back. The werewolf's nose suddenly wiggled as he sniffed at the air, at Wayne.

Like the woman he recognized in the place with the bars and food, the man smelt familiar. Memories flashed briefly in his canine mind, of very, very nice feelings and the rich smell of sex and dominance. Bernard slowly got onto his fours, that heavy tail wagging faintly at the sight of the man.

"Hey, Bernard..." Wayne said quietly. "You want to come with me?" he asked. "I bring you the cows, remember? I always sit with you when you wake up... remember?"

The werewolf pined softly as he walked over the carcases and ash, ears pricked forward with great interest. Tonight had been all kinds of crazy, with vampires daring to walk on his property, and he had killed oh so many of them too. But he had been hurt a few times, however it was nothing thanks to his adrenaline pulsing through his blood.

"Great! C'mon baby, come on..."

They had just stepped out of the collective of trees vampires were upon the two of them. Wayne yelled in surprise as one of them tried to bite into his arms and shoulders, only to have their teeth all but shatter in their mouths. Enraged, and annoyed, Wayne swung his fist and bashed in one of the monsters faces easily.

Bernard barked savagely with a rage of wolves brought up from the depths of his psyche and growled, already foaming at the mouth, as he jumped over Wayne and slammed the vampires that were trying to attack him off easily. It was a blur of fur, teeth, claws, swipes and screams as Wayne did his best to kill off the vampires who were upon him. Megamind had given him a stake to carry with him, since the war was now happening, so thanks to his brothers fore-thinking he easily felled the idiotic monsters who tried to hurt him.

Hearing the werewolf suddenly scream in agony and Wayne spun around, eyes wide. One of the vampires had gotten a good bite into Bernard's shoulder.

Wayne was there seconds later, and grabbed the vampire by the back of the head. Tightening his hand he ripped the scalp off of the monster as his other hand grabbed at its throat. "Get _off _of him." Wayne growled, tightening his hand so much the vampires throat was clamped shut entirely. Yet still the man was alive, and tried to scream, but found it impossible to do. Wayne threw him to the ground, breaking his spine in several places as he did, and his life was snuffed out when the stake came slamming down on his chest.

"That's it." Wayne said.

Seconds later Wayne was carrying Bernard's bleeding, shivering form through the skies as fast as he could back to the manor. While before when he travelled quickly things would slow down only slightly, here, everything was standing still. Wayne had never gone this fast before, he never knew he could go this fast... it was amazing. If he so wanted he could have walked, slowly, through the woods and those vampires who were lurking and hunting would never know he was there.

But this wasn't the time for that.

He found the hidden entrance that led down to the basement, and he carried Bernard through and lay him on the ground. No matter how injured Bernard was, if he got agitated he could worsen the injury or even get up through the door to the house, and unleash who knows what kind of damage on the manor and the people within. So he carefully strapped Bernard back into his harness, before kneeling in front of the wolf and gently ran his hands over the large beasts face gently.

"You've done so well." he whispered.

Bernard breathed faintly, but when his eyes opened and he looked up at Wayne the expression was that of a loving, almost tender look. The kind of look a dog gives you after you gave it an especially delicious piece of meat. He then lowered his head down and rested his large maw on Wayne's lap and shut his eyes, shuddered a few times, and went to sleep.

Wayne smiled fondly and sighed, and continued running his hand over the top of the werewolf's head. "You gave me a heart attack though. I don't want you going out again... never, ever again."

~*~

Metro City was mostly deserted. Of course there were still people milling around. Buildings needed to be manned, the police roamed the streets, as did the emergency vehicles who roamed the streets. The city itself was renown for having impressive monolith-like buildings, as if they reached for the skies, trying to obtain the powers of the Gods themselves.

In one of those massive structures stood a man who's name, and presence, had brought fear to thousands of people. A long time ago he was feared as a demon, a stealer of mens souls, seducer of women and a bane upon humanity. The blood of people poured through his body, giving him life with their deaths. He had lived for centuries, ever since he had been summoned to Earth by pitiful, weak mortals, who didn't know the evil they had wrought until it was too late.

Now he stood in the window of a building, dressed in incredibly expensive clothes, had his hair styled by professional hairdressers, and not a hair was out of place because of it. He had a European look about him, strong cheekbones and nose, and his jet black hair contrasted beautifully with his brown eyes.

His eyes rarely showed any emotion other than judging, and distrust, unless he was trying to seduce somebody under his control. Then, he would become the smoothest talker in the planet. He could turn a Christian girl into a sinner in minutes flat. He could talk a vegetarian into eating raw meat if he so wanted to. But today he didn't want to entertain himself with such pitiful little displays.

Today he wanted blood.

His children were dead. He had felt their life forces snuff out of the world one after the other, and he had smelt the blood of the one who did it. He took a deep sigh and adjusted his tie before looking over his shoulder to those gathered near his seat.

"Things have certainly come to ahead, haven't they?" he asked, his voice deep, smouldering, the kind of voice that would give women shivers running up and down their spines. "I would never have thought that some other race would become so... involved." turning away from the window he walked down the empty hallway, lit only by a fireplace by which his chair sat besides.

"What shall we do, my Lord?" asked a red haired woman. "So many of us have fallen tonight..."

"The widespread attacks are doing nothing but they need to continue. Increase them. Strengthen them. We do not back down for anything, or anyone."

"My Lord?" asked the woman.

"Draw out more of the pathetic little mortals." he shot back, eyes flashing in anger at being questioned. "Lure them all away. Is it that hard to comprehend? He will have to leave the safety of that blasted house eventually. And when he does, he'll be mine. He will pay for the blood of my children on his hands."

"But what if he destroys you again, my Lord?" asked a thin tall man with long black hair. "To loose you again would be Hell for all of us."

"They have defeated me hundreds of times." scoffed the handsome man. "Each time I become so weak it feels like death is finally upon me but every time I outwit it. I latch on, I survive, I live. They all die, though. Either by my hand, or their decaying bodies reaching the end of their use by dates."

He spun around and walked back to the window and stared out over the bustling city of Metro City and set his hands behind his back. Smiling softly his lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines, and his eyes switched from dark brown to blood red.

"He will be mine, or I will spill his blood. Either way... fun for me."

_To be continued_


	26. Not Quite a Breather

Roxanne couldn't sleep, despite her best efforts to do so. The Manor was simply full of activity and the noise echoed something terrible. Her main concern, though, was for her boyfriend who had somehow managed to fall asleep in her arms not a few hours ago. He had been on edge since coming home, and had spoken to everyone who came through the doors, and helped the smaller part of the Family who had lost Michael that night. Megamind revealed Michael had been the first Family member he had met, back when the man had only been ten years old. The young boy had been cautious about the blue skinned baby, but had rapidly grown to like him.

It was just a shame he had lived so far away... to see him pass away from severe injuries was not easy.

Combine that with the passing of his Father by his own hand and you got one distressed man. But Roxanne had forced him into his bed and climbed in beside him, tugged the blankets up close around the two of them and held him tight. At some point he had cried, she was sure of it since she had felt the tears on her arms, but when she tried talking to him he said nothing. So she accepted just holding him, gently caressing his back and head with her hands, and hummed softly.

When the sun finally began to rise in the skies she could almost feel a wave of relief wash through the Manor. The majority of the vampires out there could not step foot into the sunlight, unless they wanted to sustain some serious burns to their skin. This meant a lot of the Family were returning for some good honest rest, while those who had been here for a few hours went out to take their turns. It was like round robin, in a way.

She took a moment to look around the bedroom that she had used to wonder over weeks ago. It was the same design as Wayne's room in relation to scale and style, but their different tastes were obvious. Megamind had an impressive looking coat rack that sat in the corner of one of the rooms which had all manner of leather jackets hanging off of it, while his weaponry was put on display in a case for all to see should they walk in. He had guns, crossbows, stakes, swords and a strange looking gun that sat at the bottom of the case but she had never seen him use yet. It must have been of his own design since she had never seen such a gun before in all her years of journalism.

She was just beginning to shut her eyes when Megamind suddenly sat bolt upright in the bed, eyes open and staring ahead.

"What is it?" she asked, startled by his sudden movement.

He sat there for a moment before shuddering and crawled back down against her, shutting his eyes. "Nightmare."

Roxanne sighed softly and kissed his forehead. "You get them a lot."

"Bernard is worse," mumbled Megamind. He knew this since Wayne had mentioned how Bernard would wake up, sometimes screaming, because of the violence he saw in his dreams. Both men were almost expected to experience night terrors, Bernard's fueled by his lycanthropy and the beastly desires lurking well beneath the surface and Megamind since he had been spilling blood and ripping vampires apart for the better half of his life. Nightmares were one of the only things, other than Wayne, that Bernard and Megamind felt connected over.

The whisper of Bernard's name brought the man to centre stage in both their minds, and Megamind pulled himself to sit up again. "I should go see if Wayne got him."

"He did," Roxanne said as she grumpily sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

"You can stay, you need your rest," Megamind offered.

"No, no... I want to see if he's all right too. He's my friend after all."

Decision made, they made their way down the stairs to the main hall. It was, as expected, a hive of activity. Many people stopped to wish them both a good morning and it was obvious a lot of them wanted to give Megamind an update on happenings but were smart enough to see he had something more pressing on his mind. He could receive reports after.

Just as they approached the door Lady suddenly rushed past them. "Sorry, good morning!" she said as she hurried down the basement stairs first.

"That's not a good sign," Roxanne mumbled.

It wasn't. When they walked down into the basement they found Bernard, human again, laying on his front while Lady was already stitching up a horrendous shoulder wound he had sustained the night before. Wayne was holding the man's hand, Bernard's head still resting in his lap. At least they had the decency to give him some trousers to wear, but his back and forearms were covered in cuts and bruises, all of which had already been doused in antiseptic chemicals to stop infections.

"Almost done, almost done..." Lady said as she continued stitching shut the wound.

"Been saying that enough I know it's almost done just get it done," Bernard snarled through gritted teeth while Wayne ran his hand through his hair that appeared messier than normal.

"Oh my God." Roxanne covered her mouth as she saw him. "Oh my God, Bernard...!"

"Roxanne?" Bernard tilted his head in an attempt to look over his shoulder but couldn't see her, plus he couldn't turn his head too much. "Hey, I'm glad to know I didn't rip you apart."

"So am I," Megamind said as he walked forwards and crouched down so he could look down at Bernard's face. "Looks like you saw a lot of action."

"No. I just nicked myself shaving," Bernard replied sarcastically.

"Some razor," scoffed the alien before looking at his brother, whose face was full of concern and worry.

Bernard shuddered suddenly, and curled in on himself slightly, groaning as he did. Lady hissed and finished up the stitching before grabbing the medical tape to place over the new stitches. "Stop moving so much... you'll open your stitches."

"Sorry... gghnnn..." Bernard shuddered all over again.

"Where do you hurt?" Lady asked, before Wayne could. "Tell me."

"I don't... it... grrgh... everywhere...?" he asked weakly.

Lady frowned before suddenly taking one of his arms, wiped it with a bit of cotton wool before drawing out a little bit of blood. She had Wayne put the band-aid on his arm while she held the blood in the air in front of her, and shook the vial.

"What's on your mind?" Megamind asked.

"He was bitten by a vampire... a really bad bite, too... normally a bite like this would result in a turning," Lady said as she slowly got to her feet.

"Turning?" Wayne asked. "But he's a werewolf already!"

"Exactly," she said, turning to look at Wayne before down at Bernard. "His blood might be infected with vampirism as well as the lycanthropy disease. While his lycanthropy is powerful at killing viruses and diseases, like white blood cells, vampirism works differently. I need to check his blood to see what's happening, get him somewhere warm and... dark, just to be safe," she cast a glance at the window where sunlight was pouring into the basement.

"Oh Jesus," Wayne whispered as he gently pulled Bernard into his arms. "You're all kinds of trouble aren't you...?" he asked, trying to remain upbeat, despite the terror hinting at the corner of his voice.

"My middle name," Bernard whispered quietly as he let his eyes shut as he shuddered all over again, and wrapped his arms around his stomach as he did.

Megamind and Roxanne let Wayne head up the stairs first, closely followed by Lady, before trailing themselves. Roxanne looked to Megamind, who had a grim looking expression on his face. What was going through his mind? What she wouldn't give to know, since normally asking him 'what's on your mind' got her nowhere, since there was so much mind to have so many things on.

They were in the hospital wing section of the Manor in seconds, and Bernard was laid out on one of the beds as he groaned again. This time his hands were at his head, and he was breathing in quick, short gasps. "My glasses," he managed to whisper through the breaths. "Where's my glasses..."

"You don't need them right now," Lady told him as she quickly checked his temperature, shoving a thermometer under his tongue. "Don't speak, if that's possible?" she asked, trying to lighten the grim mood in the room with a little bit of playful banter.

Bernard grumbled but, thankfully, said nothing as he held the thermometer under his tongue and tightly between his lips. His hand found Wayne's and he gripped it desperately as another shiver ran through him.

"You're heating up," Wayne said, not having to check the thermometer to see Bernard was already sweating.

Lady pulled it out of his mouth and checked the temperature before sighing. "We have to cool you down. At least you're not going cold, turning cold is the first indication of turning. I think your lycanthropy is winning the war, Bernard."

"Hooray," Bernard weakly cheered, sarcastically, before Wayne pulled him up and into his arms, and sat on the bed. "I'm so glad."

"Is there... anything I can do?" Megamind asked as he watched, the guilt already beginning to smother him. If he hadn't instructed Roxanne to let Bernard out, then he wouldn't be in this mess. There would be no war raging inside the man's blood stream for control, and there wouldn't be more stacked onto Wayne's plate. How will he react to the knowledge their Father was not only dead, but killed by his brother's hand?

"Nothing really. He just needs to keep his strength up, quick. He needs liquids.

What followed was half a day of tending to Bernard. He would have flashes of sweating like a pig out in the summer sun, then suddenly shivering like somebody left out in the cold. Wayne never left him, and spent most of the time either wiping sweat away, applying heat packs, or wiping his chin when he would drink something and ultimately drool partly over himself. It was a messy affair, to be sure. Roxanne went up and down the stairs how many times that morning bringing ice, water, the like. Megamind, meanwhile, ended up being called away since he had so much to do downstairs by arranging what tactics the Family were going to deploy, and what to do about the vampires that could still materialize and fight during the day.

All the while his mind swam with the fact he had to tell Wayne such terrible news while his boyfriend was fighting for his life.

Things weren't looking good anywhere. Everywhere he looked he saw pain and suffering, his Family taking a beating from the vampires, and their excuse to evacuate half the city couldn't last much longer. Soon people would return, and if there were normal people caught up in the middle of this war, if there were more deaths, he'd never forgive himself.

"Wayne? Wayne." Megamind had finally entered the room to find his brother still on the bed nursing Bernard who, finally, had gotten through the worst of his condition. It took a few more calls of his name, and a nudge to his shoulder, to finally have Wayne turn his attention from the werewolf to his brother.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Wayne we... remember your job?" Megamind asked.

"My job?" Wayne echoed.

"Getting our medical team out to emergencies when needed? That one?" Megamind asked, putting his hands to his hips in an affront of hiding his trouble expression with an annoyed one. "Remember?"

Wayne sat there for a moment before realizing that the one job he had been asked to do in this war had been unattended. Why hadn't somebody reminded him sooner? Had they been threatened by his strength to come tell him off, to try and pry him away from his boyfriend? "Oh God I..."

"In light of the situation we can see why you forgot," Megamind quickly said. "Don't feel bad but... I. I need to talk to you."

"What about?" Wayne asked quietly.

"Alone."

"He's asleep," Wayne pointed out.

"Wayne, please. Stop this. I need to talk to you in private about something _private_," Megamind said through gritted teeth.

"Private. Right..." He didn't like the sound of this at all. Gingerly he set the sleeping Bernard on the bed and covered him with his blankets before following his brother out of the room, and headed down the hall to Megamind's own bedroom. "So what is it?" Wayne asked once Megamind shut the door behind them.

Wayne had seen his brother in all types of moods. He had seen him so mad his teeth would gnash, his skin would turn a vivid purple, and he'd spit as he spoke. Then there were times Megamind was blissfully happy, when he looked like you could smack him up the head and he wouldn't bat an eye. Naturally he'd seen him upset too, mourning the loss of their Father to the Children and when he was too late to save somebody.

The look on Megamind's face, now, was not one he had seen so strong before.

"Megamind?" he asked cautiously.

Megamind ran his hands over his eyes, seeming so very old suddenly, and moved to his bed and sat down on it. "It's... not good."

"What, the war? Bernard? What?" Wayne asked as he joined him on the bed easily.

The blue man still had his hands over his eyes before he finally lowered them. Megamind sat there a moment before suddenly getting to his feet, and went to the trophy case of weapons he cleaned on a daily basis. Wayne watched as his brother gingerly, carefully, lifted one sword out of the case. "Last night, before I got back here..." he said as he turned and walked up to Wayne slowly.

"I ran into the Children."

Wayne frowned. "Did you kill them?" he asked.

"I did."

"Well, good. But still bad since you realize now their father is going to be baying for your blood more than anyone else now..." Wayne said, stroking his beard as he thought. "No wonder you've been inside all day so far..."

"It's not out of fear that I haven't stepped outside yet," Megamind said flatly.

"So what is?" Wayne asked.

"Look at this sword."

Handing the weapon over, Wayne took it into his hands and looked at it. The black and gold handle was beautiful and old, and the cross hanging from its end was familiar. Realization began to dawn, and Wayne looked to the silver blade itself and saw Latin words etched into the blade that had been there for a dozen lifetimes. "This is Father's sword." he said quietly, staring at the blade as if it was a two headed unicorn. He looked to his brother quickly, eyes still wide. "You found Father?" he asked, a slight glimmer of hope tinged the corner of his words.

Megamind nodded.

It was obvious a large part of Wayne didn't want to think of what the truth could possibly be. He held onto the sword still, gently, carefully so not to bend it. "What... how... what happened? Is he... here?"

Green eyes shut and the large head bowed.

"They'd turned him, Wayne."

"No."

"They were using him to find the Manor, to bring it down."

"No, no."

"I had to do what... what he told me to do, years ago."

Wayne had given up on the word 'no' since it was pointless. It was foolish of him to even dare to hope that their Father was alive and his regular self. To know that the man who had raised them both, who had instructed them on how to work as a team and see past their outward appearances and differences for the brothers they could be, had been turned, transformed... He wanted to cry but there were no tears. It was as if they had suddenly dried up.

A part of him hated his brother all of a sudden. His brother had killed their Father. Yet Father would not have wanted to remain a monster, a monster which he had hunted his entire life. But why had it been Megamind to do it? There were no last words spoken, nothing for Wayne. His Father's last words to him, all those years ago, had been simple.

"Watch the house. Be sure to do your homework, we won't be long."

He shut his eyes on a shuddering, tired, sigh and set the sword aside on the bed.

Megamind was waiting for the blow up. He partly felt that he deserved them and yet Wayne wasn't being mad. Or sad. He wasn't being anything, which was even worse. "Wayne?"

"Did you gather his ashes?" Wayne asked quietly.

"I... I did," Megamind whispered. After the last of the Children had fallen, the bloodied, bruised alien had returned to the field. He knew where his Father had fallen and, falling to his knees, had collected as much of the ash as he could and had put it into his jacket pocket. The second he could he moved the ash to an urn which, now, sat on a shelf beside the bed. He walked to the shelf, lifting the ceramic urn, and returned to Wayne. "Do you want to..."

"I don't know," admitted Wayne as he stared at the off white colour. "He's... at peace now. But I never saw him again. All I remember is the two of you going off to train, him telling me to watch the house and..." Wayne trailed off and his shoulders shook from the emotion that continued to slam up against a brick wall that restricted it from unleashing its full effect.

Megamind apprehensively reached out and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Father... Father was always looking out for the best of both of us. I mean, he taught us so much not just about vampires but ourselves, and each other. Didn't he?"

"How he got that star-stealing attitude out of me I have no idea," Wayne whispered on a small, tired smile.

"He hated it when we used to fight. Not just because you could break me with your little pinkie but because he wanted us working as a team. We are a team, aren't we Wayne?" Megamind asked.

"Of course we are," Wayne replied, looking to his brother.

"So Father accomplished what he set out to achieve," Megamind said with an equally small, tired smile. "He has two dashingly good looking sons who each have somebody they love, who loves them back. We kick butt every day, I mean, look at us! We're _aliens _fighting a human war, with _vampires_! You're dating a _werewolf_! Do you know how _amazing _it all is?"

Wayne had to chuckle, and shook his head as he lifted his hand and ran it through his brown hair. "It is... isn't it?"

"He's left one _Hell _of a legacy," Megamind said before walking back to the shelf and placed their Father's remains on it. "Once this is all over, his remains will be put with the rest of the Family, in his rightful place."

"We can properly grieve then... right?" Wayne asked.

"You don't have to ask _me_," Megamind replied with a look of surprise. "I mean. If you want to cry, I won't tease you over it. I bawled my eyes out like a newborn."

The older brother snorted in amusement before standing up and walked to his brother, handing the sword back. "You'll no doubt see me like a newborn someday soon then. But... what about now?"

"Huh?" he asked, taking the sword back.

"Are you going back out there?" Wayne asked, lifting his head to peer out a nearby window.

"I'll have to," Megamind replied. "It's the right thing. It's what I was taught to do."

"Doesn't make it right. I... hrm. Stupid wishes of a stupid man." He shook his head.

"If wishes were fishes the world would be an ocean. Is that how it goes?"

"I've no idea."

They shared a short, bemused laugh, before Wayne petted his brother's shoulder and left the room. He needed to get his act together; his brother had faced his worst nightmare and came out of it alive. While Bernard was alive and getting through his own struggle, what had he accomplished? There were medical emergencies he had to help with, and it was time he knuckled down and faced them. It's what his Father would have wanted, it's what he wanted to do.

He didn't even look at Roxanne as he rushed past her down the stairs to give his help to those who needed it.

Roxanne looked in on Megamind, standing there in his bedroom holding his Fathers sword, looking up at his ashes on the shelf. She hovered in the doorway momentarily, resting her hand against the doorframe, before walking up to him.

"Are you going to be all right?" she asked quietly.

"One day," Megamind sighed, looking down at the sword in his hands. "Nothing lasts forever."

She smiled. "You can be pretty deep, you know that?" she asked.

"Baby, I'm so deep even the most expensive up-to-date submarine can't maintain itself because of the pressure my deepness would give it," Megamind replied.

Roxanne sighed, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him softly, if just because she could. Seeing Bernard the way he was this morning, lingering between one world and the next, and witnessing one of Megamind's Family members die just helped drive the idea home that this was a war. Their time together seemed so short; she just prayed they would both see each other through this Hell.

He kissed her back tenderly, one hand touching her hair while the other (still clutching his Fathers sword) pressed against her back. The hilt pressed against her back and he broke the kiss to apologize before sighing, and rested his forehead against hers. "Still… The time for being deep is over with for now."

"What do you have to be now?" Roxanne asked softly, arms still around him and refusing to let go just yet.

"Man of action," he replied quietly, kissing her again but briefly, before having to pull himself from her arms. "I have to go out there."

She dreaded those words more than any other. "A small part of me wishes you won't, but I know better than to wish that." Roxanne mumbled.

"You and me both," Megamind replied. "This has to be done, though. And it needs to happen today. He's taken so much from us, from me, it's about time he gets put in his place."

The door to the bedroom was suddenly slammed open, causing both of them to jump in surprise. It was Eagle, breathing hard, her hair a mess and a cut to her face now bandaged, but you could still see the blood seeping through the bandage. Her clothes were torn up pretty bad too, and there was blood staining her clothes... and not all of it was her own.

"What is it?" Megamind asked, taken aback by her sudden appearance.

"He's appeared. In the middle of town, sitting at the fountain! He, he killed three of us and sent me back to tell you he's waiting for you," she said shaking, eyes wide and face wet from both sweat, and tears. "It was. It was horrible he... he came out of nowhere; he threw Toni as if she were nothing and... and..."

Roxanne looked at Megamind who was watching his cousin with a worried expression. "Roxanne, take Eagle downstairs, she needs to rest."

"What are you going to do while I'm occupied?" Roxanne asked, going to Eagle's side and wrapping an arm around her. This woman was strong, tough, and yet she was shaking as if the Devil himself had appeared before her.

"Preparing. He's called me out, I've no choice but to answer."

"But-"

"No buts. Roxanne. Please. Take her downstairs," Megamind said firmly, already walking to his case of weapons and pulling the glass doors open. "This has to happen. It was going to happen way back when he had his Children take my Father from me. This is it."

Roxanne swallowed her emotions, bit her tongue, and led Eagle from the room, leaving Megamind to prepare.

_To be continued_


	27. The Die is Cast

When Roxanne walked Eagle down the stairs to the dining hall, she was surprised to see just how many people there were here now. Seemed those people who lived further away than those who had shown up first thing had finally arrived; the Family had all but doubled in a few hours. Many had driven, whilst some had been lucky enough to grab a flight over.

She felt her stomach fall when she saw three bodies being ushered in, covered in white sheets that were stained red with blood. They were carried through to another part of the house, probably a cold room or something, for safe keeping. She had overheard that the Family managed their own funerals and autopsies, since the kind of injuries people died from here could hardly be explained to a regular funeral home. It seemed as though the entire Family could break off from society entirely, and continue unattended quite easily.

Roxanne looked around the room at the faces of those gathered. Most were grim, while others still had that endless determination that continued to impress her.

Obviously word had gotten out about Dracula, since the second somebody saw Eagle they easily moved her from Roxanne's grasp to a big chair, where the shaken woman was given something hot to drink. Not many fighters came face to face with Dracula to live to tell about it, but hers had come at a dreadful price as evident by the three new bodies.

"He just... just kept demanding he be there... to pass the message on... he was horrible, _horrible_." Eagle whispered as her hands shook slightly, causing her mug to tremble in her grip.

Minion spotted Roxanne and made his way over to her, worry clearly marked on the fishes face. "Oh Miss. Ritchi, how are you? You look half dead."

"I'm kind of running on fumes." Roxanne whispered back, looking up at the fish. "I didn't get much sleep."

"You need to rest..." Minion said.

"I can't; not yet." she shook her head.

"Why?" asked the fish. "You're no good if you're not rested."

His attention, and that of most everyone gathered, got snatched up the moment Megamind appeared at the top of the stairs. The alien stood there in his black boots—theyseemed chunkier today and looked heavier than normal—leather pants, simple black shirt, that patented flowing leather jacket, as well as those black gloves. Resting atop his large head was the same hat Roxanne had first seen him wear all those months ago, and resting on both hips were swords. He was carrying his own as well as his Father's. No doubt within his jacket, and strapped to his body, were other weapons he seemed capable of just pulling out of his jacket when desired.

Roxanne could hardly read the expression of his face. He didn't look mad, nor determined either. There was no joy in his eyes, but there was no sadness either. It was like he was a blank slate, wiping clean the emotions that clouded his mind to just live in the moment, and get through each step at a time.

After what felt like a lifetime he began to make his way down the stairs, hands gripping each hilt of the swords as if they were keeping him alive.

The crowd of people parted like the sea had done for Moses, and Megamind continued his walk through them until he reached the door and stopped. Turning around he looked at the Family, _his_ Family, and swallowed slowly.

"We all know the procedure, and what's going to happen. Make sure you're prepared."

Roxanne heard Minion gave a squeak of unhappiness and glanced up at the fish. A procedure? Prepared? Were they all going to follow him, or take part in some kind of ritual? She wanted to know but felt that now wasn't the time to be asking questions. Instead she followed Megamind after he walked through the door, as did mostly everyone else, including Minion and Wayne.

Hadn't they done this already? Roxanne had hugged him goodbye last night, hoping to see him again. It had been horrible but this time it felt worse. She watched as Minion spoke to his friend, his master, in hushed tones nobody else could overhear. Were they actually speaking an alien language to one another? Their lips moved in a way she'd never seen before. The fish shuddered within his head bowl, and Megamind reached up, pressed both his hands to the glass and smiled. "You'll be fine." he finally said in English.

"It looks like you're going off to die." Roxanne said, aloud, unashamed to voice her feelings and fears.

Wayne looked down at her, then at his brother. "Fighting Dracula can always be dangerous."

"Extremely." Megamind said flatly as he tugged at his gloves, making sure their lines were right along his fingers. "But he's asking for me, and he'll get me. And just like him, he probably has a whole hoard of vampires in waiting too, so I'm going to bring the Family with me."

"It's like a war out of an old movie." Roxanne whispered. "The two heads of the sides fighting it out while their supporters do too."

Megamind smiled faintly.

"And you want me here, don't you?" she asked.

"I do. But I can't stop you if you follow." Megamind said honestly. "Be prepared if you are going to come along, and know your place. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to fight, you fight with everything you've got. If I tell you to abandon me to save yourself, you do that."

"You're quoting Dumbledore in a way, you know?" Roxanne tried desperately to slice through the tension in the air, but it seemed impossible.

"Man knows how to coin a phrase." the alien grinned. "But promise me, Roxanne. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do." Roxanne replied. "It doesn't stop me from worrying, or being scared for you."

"Tell you what." Megamind walked to her and set his hands on her shoulders. "You be scared for me. That way I don't have to be."

"I don't want to be scared." she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in close to bury her face in his neck. "I want you. I've never been this way, or felt like this, ever. I'm scared, and I hate being scared, but the idea of you going out there, and not coming back is... terrifying. I hate admitting it. I really, really do."

She felt his arms wrap around her, and his breath against her neck. "It doesn't make you any less a woman if you're afraid." he mumbled. "You're still the strong, reliable and lovely woman I fell in love with."

Roxanne said nothing, afraid that if she dare open her mouth she would say something pathetic, or clingy. She just held him, wishing they were worlds away from this, and that he wasn't going to face off against a monster that was renown through literature for being a monster. She wanted the embrace to last forever, just as much as he did, but he carefully unwound his arms from her, and she accepted she had to let him go. Taking a deep and calming breath Roxanne gave him a shaky smile and playfully punched his arm. "Go get em, tiger." she said as strongly as she could.

"Rawr." Megamind smiled. He then turned his attention to Wayne and took a step towards him. "Watch out for everyone, all right? Anything starts to look hairy get them out of there. Especially... you know."

"I know." Wayne nodded before reaching out and grasped Megamind's shoulder. "You've certainly come a long way, little buddy." he smiled. "We're all very proud of you."

Megamind gave a faint smile and shrugged, then wheezed as Wayne suddenly pulled him into an embrace. It seemed for a moment Wayne had forgotten his own strength, since it felt like the life of him was being squeezed out. After an awkward apology, Megamind climbed into his car with Minion and drove off after all the other retreating vehicles. Roxanne stood there, watching them go, before lifting her hands and running them through her hair.

"Right then." she said.

"What are you going to do?" Wayne asked.

"I'm not going to stay at home and worry. I'm going." Roxanne replied.

"Well I'm going too. Just to keep an eye on you."

"Thanks." she said with a small smile, then headed back into the Manor in order to find herself something to use.

~*~

With the city as abandoned as it was, finding parking was easy. Megamind ended up pulling up in front of the city hall, since it was just around the corner from the fountain. He adjusted his hat as he stepped out, and paused when he saw the huge rectangular pool of water that stretched between city hall and the Metro City museum, way down at the other end. It could give the man made lake in Washington a run for its money in scale, and grandness.

He then, surprisingly, crossed the street and approached the water. During his drive into town he had, of course, activated his disguise. A pale, bald man stared back at him out of the water, while Minion locked the car behind them.

Just as Minion was turning around—wearing his own disguise of a tall, intimidating looking man, with a tiny pony tail sticking out the back of his head that looked very much like his tail fin—he was surprised to see Megamind actually deactivating his watch. "Sir, what are you doing?" he asked, hurrying over to the alien. "Your disguise, why did you-"

"I'm going to be going to confront one of the most evil men in the history of the world, Minion. I would rather do it in my own skin than anyone else's," Megamind said as he unbuckled the watch and handed it to Minion. "Do with it as you wish."

Minion stared at his friend as he crossed the street again, away from the water, and he too looked at his reflection.

By the time Minion joined Megamind walking down the street, he too was without his disguise. So far they hadn't run into civilians, which was a blessing but also a worry. Was there really nobody around, or if there was maybe they had been caught up in the crossfire of the Family and vampires? What if, from one of these many windows, people were watching him? A blue, bulbous headed alien and a fish in a gorilla suit, walking towards the centre of town as if it were any other day.

Minion spotted some of the Family members hanging back, watching from shadows, weapons already drawn and ready. Good, they were in the right place for back up. He looked down at Megamind who was pointing. "Go join the others." he said.

"What? But Sir-"

"Do as I say, Minion." Megamind urged. "_Please._"

The fish stood there and sighed, before nodding his body and gave his friend one last glance before he hurried away to duck out of sight. He looked back from behind the wall, where he now stood with some of the Family, all of whom were seemingly holding their breath and watching as the blue man continued walking down the street.

Megamind had never walked through town without his disguise like this before. It felt, amazingly, riveting. Even with the sense of dread and evil in the air, walking these streets without a disguise in place was liberating. It certainly helped him feel like he could spit fire, and face death head on. Which, given the current situation, was probably not too far from the truth.

There, just ahead of him, was the fountain; it was very old, but had recently gone under a restoration project, and now looked all white, shiny, and new. It dribbled water pleasantly, and many people visiting the City would normally stop to take a photo of it. Even Megamind, with his vague interest in architecture, had to admit it was simple and beautiful. However, today, it was far from beautiful because of the man sitting on it.

The man was wearing a pinstripe black and grey suit. A red tie stood out against a white shirt. His shoes were shiny, sleek, and expensive looking. Thick black hair was styled back, and his handsome European face was turned away for the moment. He appeared to be looking at his reflection too, since, despite the stories, vampires _did_ cast reflections. They just tended to look off, especially around the eyes. They tended to look hollow, lifeless. What was that old saying again? That eyes were windows to the soul? Maybe that was why vampire's eyes always looked wrong in reflections.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Megamind, standing there in the middle of the road, and he gave a low, bemused, chuckle.

"So we finally meet." he said, and he seemed to glide to his feet, hands resting in his pockets. "I must admit you're not at all what I expected."

"I'm not?" Megamind asked calmly.

"I expected somebody... well. Larger, I guess would be the best word. But, after living as long as I have, surprises are few and far between. Really, the way your Father went on about you in his deranged state made me think you would be grander to behold. Instead, what do I get; a skinny, big-headed man from the heavens themselves." Dracula gave a slight scoff.

Megamind knew what he was trying to do; mentioning his Father like that. He was trying to anger him, to blind him with rage so the battle would be far more one-sided than it otherwise would be. Despite the rage crawling up his spine, Megamind pushed it away. Remaining calm and level headed was the key here. "Sorry I disappoint you." he replied sarcastically.

"Oh well. One of millions, I dare say." shrugged Dracula as he began to walk forward. His movements were so fluid, almost like dancing, but seeing somebody dance normally brought joy to ones heart. Seeing this man in the suit walk was like witnessing the murder of a baby.

The alien gripped the two sword hilts at his side, and the vampire stopped in his tracks.

"Ah, you believe you have a chance of killing me?" he asked, smiling slowly to show that each one of his teeth was pointed, and no doubt incredibly sharp. "Or let me guess, the one to banish me back to the darkness so I'll never return?"

"I don't believe." Megamind replied. "I know."

"Such authority and conviction!" Dracula laughed, and clapped his hands in amusement. "Oh, this shall be fun. This is not going to be easy, quick, or painless either." he took another step forward, the look of amusement wiped from his face only to be replaced with one of utter loathing. "You killed my Children."

"You killed my Father."

"Ah, if I recall you're the one who ended his life."

"No. He was dead the second you turned him." Megamind replied, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. "I've been freeing your slaves for years. Each one purified and allowed to die, finally, after suffering at your hand. All the dead are better off, but especially my Father. The only ones to suffer with their death were your precious Children."

"Enough talk." Dracula suddenly announced. "Let's do what we came here to do. Shall we?"

"Love to."

"LET IT BE KNOWN!" the man suddenly held his hands up above his hand, calling to the city so powerfully it felt as though his voice was everywhere, even inside your own head. "UNITE IF YOU MUST BUT YOU SHALL FALL! YOU WILL ALL BE MINE!" Dracula suddenly looked back at Megamind and held a hand out, but in a way that it appeared he was blocking somebody. "He is mine. Nobody touch him. You will know pain from my hand, and mine alone."

"Didn't you say enough talk?" Megamind asked dryly.

Dracula's reply was to suddenly rush forward and bring his hand slamming down onto Megamind's chest. The man had moved so fast, the alien had barely a hair's breadth to brace himself. He flew backwards, easily, tumbling and rolling. But the second he was on the ground, he unsheathed his sword and was on his feet. The European man was nowhere to be seen, but Megamind soon felt where he was when he felt needle like pins dragging across the skin of his head. The leather seemed to be putting up a good fight against the claws of the now invisible man, but the cuts to his head were painful, especially those across injuries that were still healing from his exploits the previous night.

Megamind ran from the foe, counting to himself as he did. He felt the tugs at his cape, and spun around, bringing his sword down. Dracula, just now reappearing, managed to block the sword with his own hand, but not without sustaining some deep cuts to his palm. The vampire barely seemed to register the pain; he hissed at the blue man and swiped at him with a foot. Naturally, Megamind avoided it, and blocked another advance with the man's hand with one of his own feet. This was a bad idea, since he was suddenly spun by Dracula and slammed back down to the ground with tremendous force.

Around him, Hell was breaking loose. It appeared as though somebody, one from either side, had felt now was the time to suddenly launch an attack. Vampires, daring the sunlight and the blades of the Family, had come pouring out of seemingly nowhere. Naturally the Family came back just as strongly, and it wasn't long until the air was full of the sounds of war. Screams, hisses, cries, and the sound of weapons brought to bear; blood being spilt.

Yet for the two men in the middle of it all, they may as well be standing on the moon.

Dracula could smell the blood on the sword that the alien was using. It reeked, not only of the blood of his Children, but hundreds of thousands of other vampires. All of them done in and destroyed by this man, who looked like a good breeze could send him rolling away like a piece of paper. His reflexes were so fast, he had to wonder if it was the alien blood running through his system that gave him such speed. Or maybe it was _he_ who was slowing down? Impossible. His strength came from the blood of those he consumed; he knew he was faster and stronger than this skinny man.

His train of thought derailed when a stake suddenly embedded itself in his shoulder. Dracula let out a roar of anguish as blood flowed freely from the wound. He reached up, grabbing the wood and pulling it out of his injury, and threw it away.

Megamind stood there, holding his crossbow in one hand, then tossed the thing away. Somebody else could make better use of it, since he knew it was foolish to think he could stake the monster from here. A stake wasn't enough to destroy Dracula, not after all these years. He backed up, and the beast was upon him again. But each time his blows were blocked with that sword, or Megamind's feet. Dracula followed Megamind, circling the fountain at least once fully, before they doubled back. They didn't get too far before Megamind pulled out one of his smaller blades and swung it across Dracula's face.

Pride was one of a vampire's greatest weakness. Feeling the pain ebb over his precious, handsome face, Dracula screamed bloody murder and repaid the gift by swiping his own hand across Megamind's face. His nails were long and sharp, and they dug into the aliens face. Megamind screamed and backed away, since the claws had reopened the wounds made by the Berserker a few nights ago. Chance available, Dracula tackled Megamind with all the force of a Berserker, slamming Megamind up against a wall. Megamind's head hit the wall; he was sure he heard a crack, but he could spare no time to scream or flinch at the pain.

Dracula was almost upon him, when the same knife used to scar the man's perfect face plunged into his stomach again, and again. This caused the monster to finally flinch, and with one good kick from Megamind to the right spot, he howled in pain and fell backwards. Blood was already beginning to seep into his clothes.

Suddenly he transformed. His clothes seemed to almost melt, changing from material to wings, and they unfurled themselves from his body. The hair on his body seemed to suddenly spread over the skin that was being revealed with the transformation of his clothes. Megamind watched as the man somehow became not only a bat, but a giant, unholy one with glowing red eyes, fangs, and claws that could rip through anything. It snarled at him before its wings finally flapped, and it took off into the skies. But Megamind was prepared for this, too. If Dracula thought he now had the upper hand, being off the ground, he was gravely mistaken.

The alien reached down and pressed his thumbs against the heels of the boots Roxanne had thought looked larger than normal. The bottom of the boots suddenly fell away, revealing two exhaust exits on each heel. Megamind put his sword back in its sheath, and pulled out another of his weapons that had been strapped to his back; built to shoot smaller, thinner stakes that could still do damage. Just as Dracula began to turn and dive down to slam into him, Megamind jumped easily, and the jets in the boots activated.

Flying without wings to help guide him was always difficult, but his main concern was making sure he kept Dracula in his sights, while also avoiding slamming into buildings or other vampires. The vampire screeched in annoyance; he had ultimately landed on the ground, before turning around and taking off after his now flying prey. It seemed this alien had many things up his sleeve. He flapped his wings fiercely, despite the throbbing pain in his shoulder and stomach; he felt pleased to see the open wounds on the alien's head, and noted where the leather had been torn. The smell of that blood... it was unlike any he'd smelt before.

Megamind suddenly spun so he was flying on his back, and aimed his 'gun' of sorts at the vampire. Pulling the trigger, a barrage of small, thin stakes shot out at Dracula. Some embedded themselves in his arms and chest, but most of them ended up shooting through his wing membranes. The vampire screamed again, and his flying became far more hazardous then before. Damn it, why was this happening? Why had this little man gotten involved in a war that wasn't his? Dracula's right wing suddenly clipped a building, sending him falling head first into the ground, just barely missing landing on a few of his underlings. They, in turn, raced to their fallen lord and tried to help him up. Instead, he snarled like the wounded animal he was and they backed away from him in fear.

Dracula was just lifting his head when one of those large boots came swinging, making contact with his face. His jaw cracked, and the force was swift and surprising enough to send him rolling. But as he rolled, he managed to reach up and grab hold of one of the boots in his claws. He all but tore it from Megamind's leg, and he heard the call of alarm from the alien; there was a satisfying thump when he no doubt came crashing down to earth as well. Pulling himself to his feet, Dracula began plucking the stakes from his body; his wings and fur slowly melting back into clothes. Only now they were ruined, no longer impressive looking at all. They were ripped, torn, streaked with blood and grime.

Lifting his head, he saw Megamind laying flat on the ground, face down, and barely moving. It seemed the sudden fall to the ground had done more damage than he had anticipated. "I must admit!" Dracula said as he began to walk towards the fallen alien, "You're... far more than I gave you credit for. I haven't seen an equal like you for generations. Almost a shame I have to kill you." He was now standing over the fallen alien, breathing hard; he paused momentarily to brush a hair out of his face. "But oh well."

_To be continued_


	28. The Final Blow

He was just beginning to lean down, reaching out to grab the alien, when cold metal hands with sharp claws suddenly clamped down onto his arm. Dracula looked up, coming face-to-face with a fish in a gorilla suit, and was momentarily stunned. That was all Minion needed. He pulled, violently, and Dracula felt the muscles in his arm tearing. He was strong enough to keep his arm in place, but the fish suddenly threw him as if he were a sack of potatoes. The vampire screeched and slammed against a group of people. He was up in seconds, grabbing the closest person he could and sinking his teeth into his victim's throat. The man screamed at first, then fell silent, his eyes turning lifeless as his blood was all but drained by the vampire. This wasn't done to change the man, but more or less as 'top up' for the vampire who had sustained heavy damage so far.

Dropping the dead man, Dracula took a run at the fish and the two clashed with such force that nearby windows rattled, and the ground beneath them cracked.

Minion knew what he'd done was very wrong; but he couldn't allow his friend to be taken like this. Hadn't his master's parents' final words to him been that he was his master's minion, and that he'd take care of him? If giving him precious time to recover from a battle like this didn't count as taking care of him, he didn't know what was. The vampire opened his jaws and bit down against the glass of Minion's spherical head, but it did nothing but scratch it up. Megamind knew how to reinforce materials, it seemed, since even his suit was holding together against the sheer force and power of the vampire's jaws.

The monster finally got an upper hand; he dug his hands into crevices in the gorilla suit and heaved Minion away. The gorilla suit rattled through the air and seemed to bounce once off of the pavement, then crashed through the front window of an unlucky convenience store. He ended up crashing into the glass display case behind where the attendant would normally have stood. He hit up against the rear wall, the force of his landing causing the shelves to give way and fall on top of him. Inside his bowl, Minion spun around and around, dizzied by the whole affair. One of the legs of the machine fell away, having undergone far too much pressure when pushing against the vampire; it now lay useless in the storefront window where it had been ripped clean off.

"Pathetic fish!" Dracula screamed, right arm still aching from the strain, and his body shaking. "I'll fest on your wriggling entrails!"

A sword suddenly erupted through his chest, and Dracula stopped and stared down at the bloodied blade. With eyes wide, he slowly turned his head to look down at the blue alien who stood behind him, having plunged the sword into his back. The vampire breathed with difficulty, looking as though he was about to bend over when, instead, he pulled himself off of the blade and spun away; the open wound gushed blood down his front and back.

Megamind held his sword tightly in his hands despite the open wounds, bruises, broken ribs, and the sneaking suspicion that one of his ankles and a shinbone were broken; he somehow still managed to stand. His own red blood was dripping from the injuries, making his leather coat seem to almost gleam in the daylight.

"Once again... my blood stains steel..." Dracula whispered.

"They go well together," Megamind replied.

Megamind stood there, watching the man, waiting, praying for him to fall. But Dracula stubbornly refused to collapse, just like himself, and he watched as the monster began to walk towards him. Instead of going to meet him, Megamind began to back up. This made the monster smile triumphantly. "Running scared... are we? Afraid to put your back to me?" Dracula taunted as he continued his agonizingly slow pace.

"No." Megamind replied as strongly as he could as he continued to back away.

"Your actions speak... otherwise," smiled the vampire.

Megamind didn't have far to go until his legs hit the fountain; it was now smeared with blood and chipped in some places. It was no longer pristine as it once had been, sadly. Just like Megamind's own body.

"Do you really believe... that you will end me?" asked the vampire as he came closer. "Humans called me forth, and now somebody not even human fights on their behalf! Look at the world around us, the war, disease, pestilence, the death! It is the end days, you stupid star child, and you should know this place shall be mine and mine alone! This world shall be mine and they shall all know and fear me, and not chalk me up as some foolish little story told around camp fires to scare children! Today accomplishes nothing but your death." By now Dracula was standing over Megamind, who it seemed wasn't even listening to him. It was only now the vampire realized that the alien was whispering to himself, holding one hand to his mouth, and speaking in quick short whispers. "Oh. Praying to your Gods, are we? Praying the death is quick and painless? I'm afraid it won't be. I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart piece by piece until you _beg_ for me to cut your throat and end your misery. Then I'll go after everyone you care for! That foolish fish, your precious Family, and that woman. Oh yes, I know about her! I smell her here, her blood in her veins! I'll rip the life she carries out of her and she will forever place the blame on the poor, pitiful creature she put so much faith into!"

Only now did Megamind finally stop whispering, and looked up at the beast standing over him. The handsome man's face was now bruised and bloodied, much like his own. He could smell the stench of death and blood on his breath, and it made him dizzy.

"I've... gotten quite sick... of your boasting."

Megamind suddenly dropped his sword to the floor. Dracula watched, curious, for just a second, before the alien suddenly pulled his Father's sword out of its hilt finally. The vampire bared his teeth and snarled but what happened wasn't what he had anticipated. Megamind turned the sword on _himself._

He plunged the sharp blade into his body, pushing his Father's sword all the way through him until the end of it stuck out of his back. Was he committing suicide to end his life first? Dracula was just reaching forward to grab at the alien when the sword was pulled out, and plunged into his own stomach. Megamind's shaking free hand grabbed at the vampire's shoulder and held him as tightly as he could as the blade sunk into him.

"Born by fire, blood and steel." Megamind whispered shakily into the monsters ear, "Death by fire, blood and steel."

Pain erupted within Dracula's body like none he had known before. The sword, stained with Megamind's blood, burned with the fury of a thousand suns. He could feel his body literally eating away at itself, the alien blood attacking his beautiful, perfect form. The beast screamed and threw his head back as his body continued to suffer the effects. His handsome face began to undergo a violent change, the flesh seeming to have the life sucked out of it. His skin went from its healthy, albeit bruised and cut, form to a thin, veiny appearance one would compare to a sick, dying, old person. The vein-ridden skin became strained and taught on his body, revealing sharp angular features that had been hidden beneath a mask of beauty and elegance.

Hands became claws; knobbly old things that could be used to grip and climb any surface it encountered. His eyes became white and blind in the light, for Dracula was never truly meant to be out in the sunlight. He was a night creature, and the day time was not his usual playground. His whole body began to hunch over, his spine bending into that similar to an animal, and his clothes ripped and fell away from his grotesque body.

Blind white eyes stared at nothing, but he was still stuck with Megamind. With a vicious growl he opened his mouth to reveal his sharp, deadly teeth. Megamind tried to pull away but those monstrous claws were suddenly upon him, and he screamed as the beast sunk his sharp teeth down into his shoulder and pulled. Megamind screamed and the hand at Dracula's shoulder released, but not to push him off. Instead, he reached within his jacket for one last weapon that he had been hiding for just this occasion. He pulled out a small gun and pressed it against Dracula's side, pressing one of the triggers on it. Liquid shot out of it, striking Dracula's form, and when he pulled a different trigger flames erupted from its nozzle.

The fluid that had doused the pale, disgusting form of Dracula caught fire as well. The flames roared and licked up the disintegrating body, but they also seared across the blue man still held in place by the vampire.

All the vampires in the vicinity let out a scream that would echo in the world's shadows and darkness for eternity. It would haunt the nightmares of everyone gathered there to witness it. They turned and fled, running from the scene. Many were killed in their cowardice by those of the Family who could still fight. Fighters they may be, but when a great leader falls, the underlings are normally the first to run from the scene, and vampires were no different. For now there was no honour in defending a dying, or dead man.

Roxanne and Wayne hadn't split ways since they arrived, and Roxanne had done in at least a dozen of the beasts. Things had been going well, but then the screaming had started. She watched as they fled, and had managed to bash in a fleeing vampire's head with her faithful bat; she had brought it along just in case. It was bloodied and splintered, and could have worked wonders as a stake too if she so wanted it.

There was electricity in the air, and that throbbing sense of doom was suddenly gone. She looked around, shaken, as people around her began to finally move. They actually seemed to rush forward, towards the fountain. It was only now Roxanne realized there was thick, ugly, black smoke coming up from the scene. Heart racing, Roxanne pushed her way up through the crowds of people, almost being plowed over by retreating vampires in the meantime, and when she finally made her way to the front what she saw horrified her.

A man was on fire, but he was also vanishing before her eyes. He was nothing more than a skeleton with organs, but he somehow still screamed as the fire consumed him like kindling under a campfire. Was that Dracula? It must be, for its form was disgusting and the skeleton was disfigured, and it reminded her of that horrible painting in the Manor of the beast feasting on a living man.

The screaming skeleton finally burned to nothing. The flames died, the last of the smoke vanished into the air, and a good number of nearby men and women rushed forward. Ignoring the fountain and everyone else, they began collecting the remains of the beast, though it wasn't much left. A blackened skull, ash, and shattered bones were all that remained. Either way, they needed to be gathered and properly destroyed.

Roxanne watched, repulsed, before realizing Megamind was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, but couldn't see him. She suddenly spotted Minion, showing signs of damage to his body, hopping his way to the fountain. Was his leg missing? It was. Feeling her body being somehow pulled forward, she began to almost glide towards the fountain as Minion all but threw himself into the water. She drew closer, along with people whose faces she didn't really know, but they all looked horrified when their eyes saw what was in the fountain with the fish.

Megamind was in the water, being held by Minion. His face was a bloodied mess, he had an open wound in his stomach, and his blood was still pouring and mixing with the once clean water. But all the more alarming were the burns to his body. They stretched across his arms, his chest; almost everywhere save for the majority of his face and legs. The burns crossed the wound to his stomach, though that was nothing compared to the massive bite wound in his shoulder. Roxanne had once done a story on somebody who had a bad run in with a shark while surfing, and the look of the injury on Megamind's body was very reminiscent of it. Dracula had sunk his teeth in, and shook his head like a great white shark, tearing at the muscles and ripping the flesh, despite the knowledge that the blood of the alien would burn him.

Roxanne wanted to scream, to cry, but found her voice was gone, swallowed up by what she saw. Minion, who had made his way to the fountain even with one leg missing, had pulled Megamind out of the water so he wouldn't drown. Obviously the alien had had the sense to pull away from the vampire as soon as possible and fall into the fountain, dousing all the flames on his body before they could do further damage. The fish was stroking the alien's cheek with his thumb, seemingly oblivious to the fact Roxanne was there at all, much less any one else.

"You did wonderful, Sir..." Minion whispered quietly.

It was here Roxanne realized that Megamind was still alive; he was barely breathing, and his eyes were just slightly open. She gasped, wanted to reach out to touch him, but she was afraid she may hurt him. That didn't stop her from climbing into the water beside Minion, who looked up at her briefly. Megamind, too, seemed to sense she was there, since his eyes opened only a fraction more. He looked at her for a moment before his eyes slipped shut again. He was alive, but for how long? Where was the medical team? Where was Lady, or Wayne?

One question was suddenly answered when Wayne appeared, almost out of nowhere, and the towering man of strength stared at his brother with wide, horrified eyes. "Oh my God. Oh my God."

Why had he gotten caught up in the battle like that? He hated violence, yet he had been out there destroying monsters as if the world was ending. How many had fallen to his strength today? He had lost count. But why hadn't he sought out his brother? Megamind wasn't built like him. He had taken on the monster, and look at what it had earned him. Desperately he looked around, backing away from the fountain and shouted to the crowd. "LADY! Get Lady, get her here now! He's dying, he's _dying_ my brother is _dying!_ We have to move him, we have to, to get him home!"

The crowd reacted, looking around, trying to find the white haired woman, while Wayne returned to the fountain and those gathered around. "Oh Jesus, Ethelwine, why did you do this?" he asked quietly, voice cracking as his brother began to shiver in Minion's arms. Was he going into shock?

Wayne suddenly pulled his shirt off and helped Minion to wrap it around Megamind in the water to keep him cool but also to apply pressure to his still bleeding stomach and shoulder wound.

"Gone..." Megamind whispered. Wayne carefully pulled him out of the water just as Lady was running up to join them, looking horrified at what she saw. "Gone, gone..." his hand slipped, and his beads fell from his fingers to land in the water with a gentle plunk. Most of them were black, burned by the fire, while a few looked as new as ever.

Minion was quick to pluck them out of the water and offer them to Roxanne, who closed her hand over the still warm beads and pressed them to her chest.

"Take me with you." Roxanne finally found her voice where it was hiding in the back of her throat, and spoke with a strained voice to Wayne as Lady was just taking his hand.

"Yes, of course." Wayne wasn't bothered by carrying multiple people. He knew how fast he could go, how fast he could get them to the Manor where his brother would be fixed, healed. "Do you want to come, Minion?" he asked the fish.

"I can get back easily enough, you get him home. Get him fixed. Please," the fish begged from his place in the water still. "Please."

"We'll do our best," Lady promised.

Minion watched as the group suddenly vanished from sight, and was left with the rest of the Family. In the far distance, the sound of police sirens began to sing.

Roxanne felt disorientated as she found herself suddenly in the Manor's dining hall. She wondered just how Lady and her parents could put up with it since it felt like jet lag, only ten times more powerful. She felt like she was going to throw up, but luckily the feeling passed over her quickly when Wayne began moving through the house. Lady, by now, had gotten down from his embrace and was rushing ahead of him to their 'hospital' wing.

"Mom! Dad! Major emergency, major!" she called to her parents; they had stayed behind at the manor, unlike their daughter who had wanted to go fight. Most medical experts for the family normally chose to stay back rather than fight, since it was their job to patch up all the injuries fighters normally encountered.

Roxanne saw the couple rush around the corner accompanied by two more people Roxanne didn't know. She could only assume they were other members of the Family medical 'staff' who lived elsewhere and had arrived that morning. Their faces turned from shock to grim expressions when they saw the blue alien in Wayne's arms.

"Carry him through. Lady, get his blood reserves. Looks like he's lost a lot and it's still everywhere," said Lady's dad as they rushed into the medical wing.

Glancing down at the floor, Roxanne felt her stomach plummet. Megamind was still bleeding heavily, evident by the blood staining the carpet. In the distance she heard a television talking about a brawl erupting in the middle of town, and how people had been killed. From the sounds of it a helicopter was filming a lot of footage, while the man continued to talk over the din.

The television continued to blare at the children who sat there, watching, transfixed.

"News reports came flooding in about what at first appeared to be a gathering at the city's centre today, around midday. The two groups erupted into gang related violence and I hear we're getting footage taken from nearby surveillance cameras..."

Zeke gasped as one image showed Minion being thrown clear through a store front, loosing his leg in the process. "Minion!" he gasped.

"Look!" Alexander pointed. More footage, this one in color, picked up a blue skinned man being thrown through the air by another man in a torn suit. The image froze on the frame, and a red circle appeared around the flung man as if he were impossible to see against a background of violence and blurs.

"Police have yet to confirm the identity of this civilian. There are rumors the whole thing is a stunt to boost interest in an upcoming movie, but nobody is coming forward to answer to these claims. Whoever the group is, it has caused massive amounts of property damage."

Little did the children know that across town those people who were still home were watching this news unfold. Every other minute on practically every news channel images of violence were being shown, with the grittier parts blurred out of course; vampires caught on camera for the first time, swords being used, stakes and knives as well as claws and teeth. Some people who watched couldn't help but have a sense of déjà vu whilst watching it all play out.

One woman in particular, sitting in her small apartment, felt a wave of memories suddenly crash over her when she saw the freeze frame of the blue man. There were memories of a house, an old, old house, and a man with brown hair. He had a moustache. And there were two little boys, their boys... _Her_ boys. One was blue; he had fallen from the sky and needed a family. The other could fly. Was this one of them? What was his name? The woman lifted a hand to her forehead and shut her eyes, trying to fight against the flood, memories breaking through the dam that the man with brown hair had erected in her mind. Hot, salty tears ran down her face.

Still the television went on, loud enough to rouse Bernard from his bed. Wrapping his dressing gown around his body, he started slowly making his way downstairs, nose keenly picking up the smell of blood and of medicinal things. Reaching the bottom of the stairs he rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache creeping up on him, and walked through to the room where the children sat watching the news still.

"What in the name of all that is holy is going on?" he asked.

"The war!" Alexander replied enthusiastically, not even looking over his shoulder. "They got caught on TV! All of it!"

"Look, there's uncle Ethelwine!" pointed Zeke.

Bernard walked closer to get a better view of the television and stared as the image of Megamind appeared, blurred thanks to the footage. Then it appeared again, suspended on a screen between a panel of three people who began theorizing and talking about just what was going on.

"Well bugger me." Bernard muttered, causing the children to finally look at him. "This isn't good."

The children watched their werewolf friend for a while, as if waiting for him to transform right there. Instead the man moved away from the loud television and staring eyes of children and walked through the house until he heard voices coming from down the hallway. He could hear Lady and her parents... and other voices he didn't recognize. Then he heard Wayne and his heart gave a sudden jolt. Was he hurt? Had something happened to him? What if Dracula had bitten him, and pierced his skin? His feet carried him just that little bit faster towards the medical ward, and he pushed the door open to find Roxanne hanging back with Wayne.

"Oh thank God." whispered the librarian, causing the two to turn their heads to look at him. "I smelt it and I thought you..." he started.

"You should be in bed." Wayne whispered gravely as he moved to his boyfriend's side, running a hand through his tussled hair. "Why are you up?"

"I heard noise. I came to investigate..." Bernard replied, tilting his head into the touch gently since it felt nice; at a time like this he would take any form of nice he could. "You guys are all over the news."

"Hmm. I'm not surprised," scoffed Wayne.

"What's going on?" Bernard asked finally, looking to Roxanne who had tears streaming down her face. "Who's hurt?"

"Megamind is," answered Wayne. "He took some pretty heavy damage out there."

Bernard wasn't certain how to feel when he heard that news. Injuries were expected when you fought the bad guys; he knew that better than anyone. But to hear Megamind, who seemed to come out of most encounters with just some bruised ribs and ash stained clothes, was a strange thing. He wanted to ask how badly hurt he was, but chose not to. It was obviously serious if he had five people working on him in the other room, and the way Roxanne was crying like he had never seen her cry before.

Even when her last boyfriend, Dave, had been caught cheating on her with a twenty-year-old.

He moved over to his friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and he felt her shudder beneath his embrace. While he wanted to say something comforting, something like 'he'll be all right', Bernard had seen how badly torn up a person could get. Even if Lady and her parents were talented, they weren't miracle workers. Wayne moved to the two of them and Bernard shifted his other arm so he could grasp at his boyfriends large, strong hand, and rested his head slightly against Wayne's shoulder.

"Let the waiting game begin," he mumbled.

_To be continued_


	29. Hello Mother, Goodbye Father

Roxanne had learned in her life that time could be a very fickle thing. She could remember laying awake in bed on eves of dates that were important in a little girl's life, such as Christmas Day, a birthday, or the day before a big party. Time would seemingly dig its heels into the ground and refuse to budge, making the seconds tick so slowly it felt like time might as well be doing a moon walk. Then on other occasions, when she was not looking forward to something, like having a blood test—or any kind of test for that matter—time seemed to pull on its sneakers and run laps around the world, making hours feel like seconds.

Curled up on a chair, with her arms around her for support, Roxanne couldn't help but notice that time was being equally cruel to her now as it had been in her youth. It was going by so slowly that it felt like the man she loved had been taken into that emergency room years ago instead of only an hour.

Lady had warned them that the operation will be a long one. They had to fix a lot of damage done to his body, both externally and internally. His blood had to be flushed out, taking the toxins of the vampire, Dracula, with them to be replaced with his own. The open, torn wound on his shoulder had to be stitched up as did the sword injury to his stomach. Casting bones in plaster was easy, but that couldn't be done until everything else was dealt with. Then there was the matter of his poor skin; thankfully it was only 1st degree burns and nothing too serious, yet it was still a matter to be concerned about.

In the past hour Roxanne had been vaguely aware of people walking up to her and talking about the man, how proud they were of him, how sorry they were that he had been injured. One older man even told her point blank this is how it was, and any of them would be lucky to reach fifty if they were fighters. Information gatherers lived far longer than the fighters, and it was a sad fact of life she had to accept. She could remember crying, and Bernard telling the old man to get lost.

Wayne, too, was feeling the painful sting of time going in reverse. He was moving his way through the manor, checking in on everyone. There were many injuries, and of course there were deaths. In this line of work, in this family, death was but another part of daily life, but he had never faced it head on like he was now. His Father was dead and that was something he could accept. But the idea of his brother being dead, dying on the operating table or passing away after the life saving attempts; it felt like there was a knife in his heart and it was twisting itself deeper with every passing moment he didn't know how Megamind was faring.

He returned to the 'waiting room' area and sat down on a couch. He leaned forward and grasped his forehead in his hands.

Bernard hadn't really moved from his seat against the wall, since he still felt sore from his own vampire interactions the night before, but also because he just didn't feel like leaving the space. He and Megamind had never really seen eye to eye on things; their first meeting had gone far from swell (he passed out when Megamind first revealed himself to be an alien), but that hardly meant they hated each other. They tolerated one another, for Wayne's sake, but now he felt bad about even that. Why couldn't he get along with his boyfriend's brother? What if it was too late now and they would never now what it would be like to share a genuine laugh over something, as friends?

He felt like a heel.

Outside, the world was in a mess. The Family had no way to cover up what was being showed live, and by now footage of the fight was being displayed all across the country. Many wondered if they could say it was done to promote a movie, or a new book series. It could be possible but at this point, police were looking for the people in the riots, and now that the threat was over people were finally returning to Metro City and their homes.

Megamind's face was now showing on screens everywhere, too. Some chalked him up as a disfigured human being. Others said he was an actor wearing face paint and a helmet. One had to wonder how the internet was reacting, but nobody really felt like logging on to find out.

Thousands of years of hiding in the shadows, ruined because Dracula wanted to be seen and heard in the heart of the city. It was like he knew he would meet his end, and wanted to bring the Family out into the public eye for the first time ever. The beast was gone but his legacy remained, since vampires continued to live even with their king destroyed. That meant vampire hunting would continue to flourish, but at least there was now no longer any threat of the monster known as Dracula who had been shot, stabbed, set on fire, and now his remains were suspended in Holy Water and kept somewhere safe until they could be dealt with.

"Roxanne?"

Hearing her name, Roxanne slowly lifted her head to see Eagle standing in front of her. "Hm?" she asked softy.

"Uh, your... your mobile's been ringing non-stop for half an hour now. Do you want it?" she asked.

Sighing, Roxanne nodded. Great... no doubt somebody spotted her too amongst the people and her boss, friends, or family might be calling demanding to know what the Hell was going on. What could she say? She didn't know. But either way Eagle brought her bag back to her and sure enough, her phone was ringing noisily. As she lifted it out of her bag she saw Wayne and Bernard watching her.

"...no." Roxanne mumbled as she turned her phone off, and dropped it back into her bag. "I'm not in the mood."

"Good idea." Bernard said as he rested his head against Wayne's shoulder gently, letting his eyes slip shut.

"What'll we do?" she suddenly asked. "If... if he dies?

Wayne opened his eyes and sighed slowly. "We'll hold a funeral. That's what we'll do."

"No, that's not... that's not what I meant." Roxanne said, sitting up slowly in her chair. "What will we do? He means... he means so much to all of us, doesn't he?"

"Of course he does." Wayne replied. "But there's nothing we can do if he dies. The best we can do is hold him a proper funeral, remember him for what he was, what he died achieving, and cry because we're left here and he's moved onto somewhere better."

"I don't want him to move on to somewhere better, and I know that sounds so horribly selfish, but I can't help it," she said, voice cracking with emotion. "He's supposed to stay here, alive, where I can take care of him. Where I can repay him for saving me, where I can love him and keep _him_ safe for once...!" Roxanne lifted her hands and wiped furiously at the tears that dare show her weakness, shoulders shaking. "God damn it...!"

She didn't hear Wayne get up or move across to her, but she felt his strong, powerful arms wrap around her and she clung to him desperately as those foolish tears continued to spill.

"I know it's not fair," Wayne said as he somehow kept his voice steady despite how fast his heart was beating within his chest. "But we can't think of the bad now. We have to hope and pray he gets through this. If he does, he does. If he doesn't, we have to accept that too. Just hope, Roxanne. Don't give up just yet."

Minion, meanwhile, was fixing his leg.

It was keeping his mind preoccupied and off of what was going on in the world outside. He didn't care if they were revealed to the world, or that people would be talking about them everywhere. It didn't matter that people had finally seen him in that security footage; none of it mattered. All that mattered to him was the blue man undergoing an operation this very second. How he wished he could have done more for his friend, yes he knew he had given him the chance to get to his feet and plunge the sword into the beast, but why not more? Those vampires who had clung and gripped at him had been purposely trying to control him, to keep him out of the battle for as long as possible.

It had worked, and now his best friend lay dying

"No. No, he's not dying." Minion said as he slowly moved the toes of the giant gorilla suit experimentally, seeing if he had done the wiring properly. "He's just hurt. They can fix him. T-they can."

"Minion?" the whispery voice of one of his 'sort of' aunts came to him from around the corner.

"Huh?" he looked up as his hands continued working on the leg and saw the woman looking into the tech room he was working in. "Yes?"

"There's a woman at the gates. She keeps asking for... for your Father or Wayne and Ethelwine." she said.

"What?" Minion set his tools aside and got to his feet. "What do you mean 'a woman'? Is she part of us or not?"

"Well... a few of us recognize her but we're surprised she's here."

"Who is she?" asked the fish as he tested his feet carefully, and was pleased to discover his leg worked fine.

"She was the Father's wife."

~*~

Wayne didn't know what to think when Minion came rushing up to him in the waiting room. This state of mind continued as Minion explained that his Mother was at the gates, wanting to be let in. The man stared blankly at the fish, before the two walked to the nearest window and stared out over the manor's property to the huge gate. There were some people out there, talking to the woman who was partly blocked by the large gates.

"Is it her?" Minion asked.

Wayne concentrated and his vision suddenly became like a pair of binoculars. He closed in on the woman, whose hands were gripping at the steels bars. Finally she moved her head, only just, and Wayne saw it. That same curly hair, though it was much longer now, and instead of being a rich auburn color it was now grey. She had the same eyes, though dulled by age, and there was a familiar beauty spot on her cheek he could clearly remember in his mind.

"What is she doing here after all these years...?" he mumbled.

"What should we do?" asked the fish. "Should we gas her and remove her, or let her in?"

He didn't know what to do. Megamind was still in surgery, his family was mending itself after a terrible war, and now his Mother who abandoned them over twenty years ago was now standing outside the gates wanting to be let in. She didn't even know that her husband was dead, or had been missing all these years. A knot of distress built up in his stomach, remembering how upset his brother got whenever their Mother was brought into the conversation. Would he want to see her, to talk to her? That is, if he could and if he recovered well enough to speak at all? Would he make peace with her, or would he want her out of his sight? There were so many ways for so many people to get hurt now...

"Wayne?" Minion whispered.

"Let her in." Wayne finally said after what felt like a lifetime of considering the possibilities. "I'll talk to her."

Minion nodded but knew better than to go out there himself. He had people to tend to in the house, so he asked one of the cousins, going by the name of Alice, if she could be kind enough to show the woman into the house and into the drawing room. There weren't many people in there, and could be easily emptied for a private one-on-one talk with Wayne. Alice was wary but didn't argue; it wasn't her house to do so. With Ethelwine out of action at the moment, people had to follow Wayne's directions and whatever the towering man wanted, he got.

So when the woman was shown into the house, she was taken immediately to the drawing room and told to wait. Naturally she did, and her eyes raked in the room. It was cozy, with rich colored walls, old wallpaper, and a hard wooden floor that had a large circular carpet on top of it to keep the cold at bay. There were bookshelves, familiar ones, and paintings on the walls that didn't have bookshelves up against them. She was just considering whether she should get up when the door to the room was pushed open, and there stood a man like no other she had seen before outside of fantasy movies. Gerard Butler's portrayal as Leonidas flashed through her mind briefly.

He was tall, with brown hair streaked with grey, and the beard growing on his sharp chin only added to the feeling of testosterone he seemed to exude with barely any effort. His blue eyes looked at her with an uncertain glint, and the way he was holding onto the doorknob told her how apprehensive he was. Dressed there in casual clothes like that, he almost looked like a magazine model, showing the latest clothes for sale in K-Mart or somewhere similar.

The two watched each other quietly for a moment before he finally cleared his throat.

"I'm sure you realize how strange it is, having somebody show up at our gates," he said as he shut the door behind him as he walked into the room.

"Oh I'm sure it is," she replied.

"What's your name?" Wayne asked.

"Sorry, yes. That's so rude of me..." the woman brushed a loose hair out of her face and for a brief second she was young again in Wayne's eyes. Her thick, curly auburn hair was always falling into her face and she was forever pushing it away. "My name is Nina. Nina Zammit." She moved forward and held her hand out to the man, whose face was somehow familiar even if she had never seen him before in her life. Another fleeting memory passed through her mind as her eyes met his, and it was of a little boy with brown hair who would fly around the room for praise.

"Nina." Wayne remembered her name, and returned the gesture by reaching out and taking her hand into his own. Once his hand had been smaller than hers, and even if he hardly needed it he used to hold her hand when they went outside. "I'm-"

"Wayne." They both said the name at the same time, causing him to look alarmed while she just looked mildly bemused.

"You remember us," he stated, rather than asked.

"Not entirely." She withdrew her hand, and looked around the room before pulling her knitted shawl closer to her shoulders. Nina was wearing a simple, soft orange colored dress, and had the white shawl around her shoulders. She looked old, older than Wayne would care to admit, but his parents hadn't exactly been spring chickens when they had adopted Megamind and himself.

"What do you mean?" Wayne asked. A sneaking suspicion was beginning to creep into his mind. Had their Father erased her memories when she left? Was it done to protect her, or them? How could their Father have done that to her? How many years had he wiped away with a stroke of a brush, as if she had been a drawing and simply erased half of her life?

Nina moved to a seat and sat down in it, while Wayne sought out one of his own to sit in. "It's so strange... for almost thirty years I've felt like a part was missing. I've never been sure of what, but, you know. You can't have feelings like that cloud you entirely..." she shrugged slightly. "I'm a writer, now you see. I buried myself in work, but still those thoughts and feelings tugged at me. Dreams always had a blue boy in them, and a man and a little boy but I never really understood it." She frowned slightly, causing wrinkles to show on her forehead. "And on Mother's Day, especially, I would feel sad. Sadder than I should."

Wayne hadn't been sure before, but he was now. Megamind had told him how there were trace fragments left in a persons subconscious after having their memory altered, but normally it would only be a sense of déjà vu. Since Nina had such so much of her life removed of course larger pieces were left behind, buried deep down within her mind, struggling to break free. "Father erased the memories of us."

She looked up at Wayne suddenly, eyes wide. "You were the little boy who flew." Nina whispered quietly. "Wayne."

"Ah... yeah. Yes. That. That was me." Wayne awkwardly shrugged.

Nina looked at him in shock, before scooting forward in her chair and reached out. Knowing she couldn't hurt him even if she tried, he let her brush back the brown fringe and looked at him with a critical eye. She frowned slightly, before tilting his head slightly this way, then that. It was amusing to him, and he couldn't help but give a small smile in amusement.

"There you are," Nina mumbled. "Wayne." She withdrew her hand, smiling shakily. "Look at how big you've grown...! I would never have thought... and your brother. He was all over the news..." She once again brushed a hair out of her face. "Seeing his face brought so much back, but it's still like a jigsaw puzzle. Pieces are missing, but some things are as clear as day. Like this house." She looked around the room again as she gripped her shawl to her chest. "This house..."

"My brother's in a dangerous place right now." Wayne admitted, causing Nina to look back at him with wide eyes. "What happened out there, well, he's badly hurt and is in ER as we speak. You remember him, don't you?"

"The little blue boy, yes. He's been running around my dreams and nightmares for years, but I never picked up on who he was, or what he symbolized." Nina said quietly. "His name it... I don't... Ethan? No..."

"Ethelwine. He prefers to call himself Megamind, though."

"Megamind?" asked the woman.

"He has a bit of a complex," Wayne smiled faintly. "But yeah. He's... been a bit sour about you leaving." He finally touched on the subject and sat there for a moment before looking at the woman who had been his Mother at some point in his life. "Why did you leave us?"

She knew that question would be coming. Even if so much of her life in this house, and marriage to her husband, had been erased, there were still strong pieces that now stood out against the rest. Memories of putting the boys down to bed and watching them sleep, knowing of a looming threat that could kill them so easily had brought her such nightmares. It had been horrible. "It wasn't that I didn't love you all," she finally said after a pause. "I did. I could never have children myself because of my body, so when your Father brought this little blue boy home I was so happy. He was... mischievous, curious, and so adorable with the little fish. Hah. That little fish just now came back to me. He was always with him... and then you came to us from the... Scotts? Somebody… You needed a home, and your Father let you into our hearts and our home. We were a family." She shifted in her chair, obviously distressed by the amount of memories that were rushing back to her like a dam had burst.

"But then he began training... Ethelwine was going to be the fighter. He wasn't even four and he knew how to kill creatures of the night my husband had been fighting against for so long. I... I couldn't stand to watch it happen. His innocence was lost, so was yours, because of a war neither of you should have been in," Nina continued, lifting a hand to rub at one of her old, tired eyes. "I hated your Father for that, for doing that to the both of you. We used to argue about it... Long, tired arguments that got nowhere... until finally I said the pain was too much that I couldn't stay."

"And that's when he erased the memories of us," Wayne concluded. "He sent you back out into the world. Did you even remember him?"

"He let me remember him, just enough to know we were married, and that it had ended. No little boys. No hidden house. No secret war. But it couldn't stop the dreams, the nightmares. And it all became so... so clear, seeing what's on the television now..." Nina rubbed at her eyes again and Wayne wondered if there were tissues in the room. Thankfully she pulled one out of her sleeve and wiped her eyes properly. "I'm sorry."

"No you don't have to be." he said softly. "Really you don't."

"But I left. I shouldn't have," Nina whispered. "I could have had such a different life to the one I have now."

"You made your choices. Father made his. It's nobody's fault things happened the way they did; they just happened. But you're here now, and... And when Megamind is better you can see him, too. I hope." He remembered Megamind's sour attitude towards the woman. Maybe having gone through a war and a battle with Dracula would soften him to the idea of seeing his Mother again?

"I hope so too but... I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't. To be honest, I never thought I'd get through the front gate," Nina said as she set her tissue back down her sleeve.

Wayne chuckled softly, finding the release of tension in his chest being like that of a fire being put out. Even if he still felt anxious about his brother; worried and concerned, and a little bit scared as to how the world at large would respond to what had happened today, sitting here with his... Mother for the first time since he was five years old was... nice.

He just prayed Megamind would make it through the operation to allow her back into his life.

~*~

"You should feel very proud."

The ethereal voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and Megamind tightly shut his eyes. It felt as though he was standing under a spotlight, since the light pierced through even his shut eyelids.

"Huh?" he asked dumbly.

"What you pulled off today, that was very impressive."

"Oh yeah, that."

Megamind forced his eyes open and saw that he was standing in the middle of town again. The fountain was there, and when he approached it he looked down at his reflection in the shimmering water. He looked totally fine, there were no cuts, bruises, sword wounds, or bite marks on his person at all. Tilting his head slightly to the side, Megamind made a curious noise, turned around, and yelped at what he saw before leaping back... and into the fountain.

His Father stood there wearing a simple suit, his hands in his pockets.

"Careful there, son, you'll hurt yourself. Though... I don't think you even could if you tried in here."

The alien sat in the fountain still, staring at the man standing there before him.

"Shut your mouth, it looks like you're catching flies," Father instructed, and Megamind did just that. "That's better. Now get out of there before you catch a death."

Slowly, Megamind climbed out of the fountain, but didn't seem to notice how the water instantly dried against his leather clothes. "Father?" he asked.

"Hmm hm," nodded his Father.

"But you're dead," Megamind pointed out the obvious.

"I am," nodded the man again.

"Am I dead?" he asked, looking down at himself and gingerly touched his own stomach.

"I don't know, are you?"

"I don't know!" Megamind shot back, looking around him. "We're in town. Why are we in town?"

"Because it was the last place you were conscious. But that's just my guess," shrugged the white haired man before smiling, causing his moustache to bristle as he did. "But you did really well today, son. I'm proud of you. You vanquished one of the oldest and greatest threats to the world. And you used my sword; nice touch, that."

Megamind gave a small, embarrassed smile. "Well. I just did what you'd do."

"No, you did what you do. And you did it wonderfully. We're all very proud of you."

"We?" Megamind asked.

"Every person you've freed of the vampires curse. Every family member who has fought. Every person who has died because of these monsters. Trust me, Ethelwine, you've done brilliantly." Father smiled again. "You, Wayne, Minion, even those I never got to meet in my life have done well."

"This is really great, hearing all this but..." the blue alien looked around the abandoned city, as if realizing how eerily silent it all was. "If I'm dead, why didn't I get a flashback of my entire life? Or a guiding light? Isn't that how this normally works?"

"Well there is that, or maybe you're not dying at all," shrugged the man. "Besides, you've still got a lot to deal with back there in the land of the living."

"Really?" Megamind tilted his head slightly.

"Maybe it's not your time."

"Is it?" asked Megamind.

"You tell me," smiled Father.

"...you're being very vague, Father. Not much has changed in death at all."

"Can't keep a good man down," Father grinned now, and looked up at the blue sky. He shut his eyes as he sighed, "You simply can't."

Megamind turned his head up and saw the sun was shining brightly in the sky but... it felt wrong. The sun seemed closer than normal, and it was getting even closer. But instead of feeling a panic, or a burning feeling that one would expect with a rapidly expanding sun, he instead felt an odd sense of calm. He turned to look at his Father again but the man was gone, melted into the bright light that was now consuming everything around him.

Shutting his eyes, Megamind opened his arms out above his head as the light consumed him.

_To be continued_


	30. Questions in my Head

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do at this point."

Those being the first words Roxanne, Wayne, Minion and Bernard heard out of Lady's mouth sent waves of horror and shock rippling through their being. The woman obviously saw their emotions clearly as she carefully removed her surgeon's gloves.

"His recovery is going to take a long, long time," she went on to explain, seeing some ease on their faces but not as much as one would have hoped to see. "He sustained some serious injuries both internally and externally. The tissue damage needs to repair itself, and he'll need multiple surgeries on his stomach and shoulder alone to help the process along. Luckily he doesn't need skin grafts, but his skin still needs to be tended to. To be honest we don't know how much pain he will be in if he wakes up, so... so we've put him in a medically induced coma."

"A coma," Wayne echoed that ugly word, not liking the taste of it on his tongue.

"Yes. It's the best we can offer him, to allow his body and mind to rest and recuperate from his ordeal," Lady explained. "We're going to move him to his bedroom where he can remain, and we'll take most of the medical equipment with him, but we always feel that patients do better in familiar environments."

By now Roxanne was already out of her seat and walking around Lady, and pushing open the door to go in and check on the blue man. Lady knew better than to stop her, and knew she had done the right thing to wait until now to come out here to tell them, since her parents and she had already cleaned up inside so when anyone would walk in they wouldn't see any mess or signs of medical equipment.

"How long is he going to have to be in a coma?" Wayne asked as Bernard tried to peer over Lady's shoulder.

"A few weeks at best, and I really have no idea how he managed to remain standing at all, to be honest. His leg was pretty much shattered and most of his ribs are broken too," Lady went on to further explain. "But in the long run, being out of it for so long will be better for his health. When he wakes up, it will probably feel like just a few minutes he's been asleep."

Wayne nodded vaguely, since he had never experienced the 'joy' in having an operation before. He had never gotten sick in his life, or afflicted with anything that may need surgery. In a way he was glad, but another part of him was envious of people who got scars and the like. Then he realized what kind of scarring his brother would have, and he could already imagine him boasting over them once he was well enough to boast.

Roxanne let Lady's parents walk out of the room before walking in herself, and stared in numb shock at Megamind, who was laid out on a bed covered in a white sheet. Most of the color in his cheeks was gone, drained away, and for a moment it almost looked as if he was dead. She reminded herself he was just asleep, and walked closer to the bed before gingerly reached out and touched his only exposed hand that had a drip running into it. She heard herself sniff, though she refused to acknowledge it. He had made it through the operation alive, and in one piece, that's what mattered.

"I am so proud of you," she whispered despite him being asleep. "You did so... so well."

She wondered if she could sit with him, but she remembered he was going to be moved through to his bedroom. Roxanne would stay with him there, keeping away from the calamity of the world outside and sit by his side just as Wayne had done for Bernard.

"Oh jeeze."

Think of the Devil...

Bernard made his way into the room and stood beside her as he looked at the blue man with a grim expression. "Melodramatic isn't it?" he asked.

"Very," she replied with a shaken smile, wrapping her arms around herself loosely. "He certainly knows how to play a situation."

"Even when he's unconscious… That's magic, that is." Bernard smiled faintly and rubbed her shoulder encouragingly. "Don't look so worried. The worst is over and he'll be back to his normal self before we know it."

"I know," Roxanne replied softly before reaching out again, and smoothed his goatee since it didn't look as smooth as she knew he liked it. She felt another emotional shudder rush through her by simply touching him, and groaned. "I'm a mess aren't I?" she asked.

"Total mess," her friend agreed, "But a mess that makes sense. I'd be like this too if I was in your shoes."

"Really?" she asked.

"Well not your actual shoes; heels do nothing for me but you know what I mean don't you?" he asked as he looped his arm around her shoulders now, and pulled her into a one armed embrace. "And Wayne was just like this with me, wasn't he?"

"Mmhm." Roxanne nodded as she placed one of her hands over his. She needed contact to keep her grounded.

"You can't spend all your time with him though," Bernard went on, "You have a job. And family."

"I know," she mumbled. Megamind probably wouldn't want her sitting around and watching him, would he? She didn't know. He had asked so much of her in the past months, but now she wasn't sure what he would expect in this situation. Bernard was right, she had a job and no doubt they would want her on the front lines for the hard hitting news that was sweeping the nation. What of her parents? Her sisters? They had a right to know what was happening to her, and if Megamind's face was now out there could she come out as his girlfriend? Or would it be a media blitz, as if Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt walked into town arm in arm?

Wayne shortly joined them and the three offered help to move the blue alien. In the end it was Wayne to effortlessly moved his brother from the bed to a rolling bed and carried him up the stairs to the man's bedroom. Bernard carried the drip, and Roxanne held the metal frame that it would be suspended from, while Lady helped to ensure he was comfortable in the bed with proper head support and that the blankets weren't too tight or heavy. Minion came in to join them too, and looked like he was about to break down in tears when he saw Megamind like that, but managed to fight through the desire to do so.

He opened the curtains, letting sunlight into the dark room, and fussed around trying to keep himself busy.

They soon left him, though Roxanne chose to spend some time in there with him alone. She understood she couldn't indefinitely stay there, but some time was better than no time. Pulling a big chair over, she sat beside the bed and rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "You threw my world upside down, you know that right?" she asked the sleeping alien. "I used to think I had a hectic life before, but now... god. Aliens. Vampires. Werewolves. Insane. That's what my life is now, all because you had to go and save me and 'forget' to wipe my mind." Roxanne smiled faintly at him, hating how pale he looked. "I'll have to thank you properly for that when you're aware enough to know what's going on..."

And so the days began to pass.

Roxanne returned to work, and luckily for her sake no security cameras had caught footage of her during the attacks. She used the excuse of feeling under the weather, hence her small time away from work, and she was easily forgiven. Working where she did she was at the front lines whenever new information on the attacks that had happened were received. Police were still looking for leads but continued to be stumped by just how many people who were there had seemingly vanished, as if they hadn't been there at all. Not surprising since the Family had been doing this for generations, so when they wanted to vanish, they did.

Speculation ran rampant; people suspected it was just gang violence, whilst others said it might be for a new movie or TV series and had happened just to get people talking about it. Megamind became known as the Blue Man, and soon became something of an urban legend. People claimed to see him all over not only Metro City, but the planet. This, of course, was all false since Roxanne knew the 'Blue Man' was still recovering from his operations in his house.

By now all the Family had left, slowly, carefully so not to arouse suspicion, back to their own homes in other states. Roxanne had seen them all off with Wayne and Bernard, and was sad to see most of them go, but a few of them exchanged numbers and emails. Of course they knew not to mention the fighting in emails, or on the phone. That was to be kept top secret.

Hal Stewart was listed as a missing person with the police, but there were never any leads discovered. Roxanne felt sad about this, still, and wanted to send a letter to his family about choosing to remember Hal for who he was, but felt scared to even do that. You couldn't just come out and say that he had been turned into a vampire and had tried to have his way with her, you just couldn't. She had a new camera man already by the name of Jose, a lovely dark skinned man who carried his camera with pride and took great footage even when he was on the run after a story with her. They clicked, and worked well, which she was appreciative of.

Weeks had passed by now. Over a month since the fights and a lot of it had fallen into memory, though now and then a story would crop up of people claiming to have been a part of the riots. They were soon found out to be frauds, though, so no story was ever really run on them. There was no stopping the Internet though and the crazy schemes and ideas those people had were better off ignored.

"Roxi!"

In an attempt to get her mind off of her work, and her still sleeping boyfriend, Roxanne had decided to take up a dinner invitation from her parents. Her sisters were too busy to attend, naturally, so she knew they'd appreciate having dinner with their oldest daughter at least. Her mother, Caroline, greeted her at the door with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. "Oh honey it's so good to see you!" she gushed.

"You too, Mom. Growing your hair out I see?" she asked, spying her mother's hair tied back in a small plait.

"Well I figured, might as well try a change hm?" Caroline asked as she reached back to toy with the small plait. "Come in, come in..."

Roxanne's parents lived outside of town in the suburbs, the same house that they had lived in ever since moving here when Roxanne was six years old. It was a two storey house with a white picket fence at the front, a huge oak tree complete with tire swing, and a flower garden in the front. The backyard had a small vegetable garden her father tended to, but more importantly his car as well, which might as well be their fourth child judging by how many hours the ex-army man spent with the machine. It was a Gran Torino, and it had only had one owner: Roxanne's father.

She could remember the Sunday drives with her parents and sisters in that car, driving to see family, movies, museums, libraries and parks.

Nothing much had changed out here, and that much she was grateful for compared to her own life in which so much had changed.

Inside the house it was decorated with family pictures, book cases, and of course awards. Charles, her father, had made a habit of showing off every single award his girls got in their lives, so Roxanne wasn't at all surprised to see her grade eight Spelling Bee Champion award still sitting proudly in between her sister's tennis award and a baking contest her mother won a few years back.

It all paled in comparison to the medals that her Father had acquired after his lifetime in the army. He had retired only a few years ago, so the medals were on full display. There was a portrait, painted of him in his full army gear, and below it hung a small compartment where the medals were all shown off. Regularly they were removed for a good polish, but quickly returned. On Veterans Day he proudly marched in his uniform with all of those medals pinned to his chest, and there was no guessing how proud he was to have served his country for as long as he had managed.

"Daddy!" Roxanne greeted the still-towering man as she spotted him walking in from the backyard. Judging by the rag in his hand he had been cleaning his car.

"Roxanne," he smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "How's my news reporter today?"

"Exhausted," she sighed, taking in the familiar smell of his aftershave which hadn't changed in years. He was probably to blame for the reason she hadn't changed her lavender perfume at all. If you found perfection, why change it? "And how are you?"

"Same old, same old," replied the grey haired man as his wife went through to the dining room to make sure the table was set properly. "Your mother and I are playing with the idea of getting a dog."

"A dog?" Roxanne asked. "What kind?"

"Well, nothing too demanding. I don't want a small yapping rat, for one. Or a poofy show off dog either," Charles said as he opened a cupboard and put the cleaning rag away. "But your mother doesn't want a hard as nails dog either, so we're at a loss as to what breed to look at."

"Sounds like quite a problem," she said as she pulled her jacket off and hung it on a peg in the hall. "You guys should look into the pet adoption place though, take in a dog that really needs a home instead of a puppy."

"That's the idea," Caroline said as she walked past Roxanne to go into the kitchen. "We're hardly puppy people, so one that's already past the 'gnaw on everything' stage would do us fine."

"Well, good." Roxanne smiled.

She wondered if she should let them know about the man in her life or not. Roxanne had never really brought boys home, mostly on account of the fact no man in her life had stayed around long enough for her to warrant a visit to the parents. How would they react to him? A blue skinned, large headed alien who fought vampires... her father would probably grab a shot gun and her mother a shovel. But was it serious enough to want to bring him here? It certainly felt it, which surprised her since she had never fallen for a guy this fast before. She'd only known him a few months, after all.

"I must say, Roxi," Caroline brought out a roast chicken with some roasted vegetables to place on the dining table, "You're positively glowing today."

"I am?" Roxanne asked, casting a look at her reflection in a mirror.

"I think you are. Are you trying some new foundation?"

"No..." she answered as she went to grab some drinks from the fridge while her father began carving up the bird.

"Maybe she's pregnant," Charles said straight up.

"Don't say that!" Caroline laughed as she turned the glasses the right way. "Roxi's not seeing anyone, are you?" she asked, looking at her daughter in an 'are you keeping something from your mother?' look that most mothers perfected after being a mom for only an hour.

The tidal waves of thoughts and feelings that crashed down on Roxanne almost floored her. Glowing? Pregnant? Boyfriend? She suddenly needed to sit down, and that's what she did. She had never been one to lie to her parents before, maybe once or twice when sneaking out to see a boyfriend when she was a wayward teenager, but never since then. It was tough lying to your general father and teacher mother, plus it just wasn't her. Yet her heart rate quickened when she suddenly asked herself, when was her last period? Was she late? But she and Megamind had only done it once...! Yet that was all it would take, sometimes. Oh God. Why hadn't she even considered he might be genetically compatible with her?

"Roxi?"

Her mother's voice brought her back to Earth with a thump and Roxanne gasped.

"Roxanne?" Charles was now looking a little concerned.

"I... y-yes. I am... seeing someone," she slowly admitted.

"You are?" Caroline asked, smiling. "Oh that's wonderful! What's his name? What does he do? Does he have family here?"

Roxanne tried to avoid spotting her father's expression which was that of a man who was considering if he should fetch his shot gun or not. "His name's Ethelwine. Ethelwine Abbatista," she answered the first question easily enough.

"Oh now that's a distinguished name isn't it?" Caroline asked Charles as he began to dish out the chicken to the girls.

"Sounds English," Charles commented.

"His family came from Europe, but that's going way back," Roxanne said. Technically, that was true.

"Right. So what does he do?" Charles asked as he forked the chicken onto her plate.

"Manages the family business," she answered. Technically, it was true. "He runs it with his brother Wayne."

"Sounds pretty important," said her mother as she spooned out some vegetables. "What do they do?"

Crap. What do they do? Lawyers? That could work. Wayne dressed sharply enough, and their house looked certainly old enough to be managed by a lot of money. It would explain why he'd be away a lot, dealing with 'clients' and how it was a 'cut throat' business. Yes. That would work beautifully.

"They're lawyers, actually. Very private group as well, they only work with clients they've known for years," Roxanne said. "They're that private they're not listed anywhere."

"Old lawyers then," her father commented. "The types that work for big companies and the like, yes?" he asked.

"Hmmhm. He's away a lot with work." Roxanne sighed, looking down at her plate. "He's been away for a few weeks now... but I hear he's coming back soon once the case he's working settles."

"He should come round for dinner," Caroline said firmly. "Get to meet the family, and that includes your sisters."

Oh boy. Her _sisters._

"I think he'd like that," smiled Roxanne.

"So do you think you're pregnant?" her father asked bluntly, causing her mother to almost drop her glass.

"Charles!" she said.

"What? It's an honest and direct question. You say she's glowing. S'got nothing to do with makeup. And admit it; you looked like that with all the girls. That..." he gave his daughter a critical eye, but it was also done in jest going by the grin on his face. "...that sparkly twinkle in her eyes of a woman who's keeping a secret really close and not wanting to share it with anyone."

"I don't know," Roxanne admitted. "I haven't really felt any different..." while she had been experiencing some mild headaches now and then she had chalked that up to stress. But pregnancy? Really?

"Maybe it's nothing. But if it _is_ something, that means he should come round for dinner even more," her father said.

"Of course," she agreed.

Thankfully her mother hadn't asked how long she'd been seeing him. That was a saving grace, and something she and Megamind could work out between them when, and if, he ever came to dinner. Another grateful thing was that neither of them had brought up the idea of marriage even if there could be a bun in the oven already. Mainly since Roxanne had been born before the two of them had been married, and in fact by the time the twins came along, her parents had only been married little under a year. Neither had been in a big rush, so she only assumed they would treat her the same way they had felt themselves.

While she ate and her parents talked about this, and that, Roxanne had to wonder why she wasn't filled with fear or apprehension at the idea of being pregnant. Once upon a time the fact she might get pregnant one day terrified her, what with all the horror stories she had heard about pregnancy problems, birthing pain, and everything that happened in-between. Was it because she was at that age? That can't be true, there was never an 'age' in which women decided they wanted children. She was twenty-nine, a fairly safe age to have a child... but was it because she was pregnant with Megamind's child that made it feel all right? She _did_ love him... more than she thought she could love somebody, and every day she went to see him in his bedroom felt like another stab to her heart.

He had color now, and he really did look like he was just sleeping and not half dead. Lady, who had so far operated on him a total of four times now, said it was getting closer to when they could let him out of the coma. He would be groggy as anything for days and uncertain of what was going on but he would be awake. And after a week of that he would be able to get around the house with assistance... Roxanne was already planning on taking a time off to be there for him.

How would _he_ react, learning she may be pregnant? She recalled him saying that the reason being he had taken her under his wing as an apprentice in vampire hunting was mainly since he knew he'd never have children. If that was true, maybe she wasn't pregnant at all? Roxanne decided, as she poured herself some water, to go see a doctor to find out for herself before she make any assumptions and scare not only herself and her parents, but her boyfriend too.

Falling into darkness in Minion's arm whilst sitting in the fountain, and waking up in his bed, Megamind wondered just how much time had passed. He blinked his eyes slowly, wearily, and was annoyed at how blurry the world looked. Groaning softly he shut his eyes tightly and his fuddled brain picked up the fact there was a radio playing somewhere and he could hear the song. Recognizing it, a fuzzy smile crossed his face.

"M'a rocket man..." he mumbled along with the song, voice wobbling and hoarse from misuse for so long.

He hadn't even noticed that somebody was in the room with him.

"Megamind!"

Hearing his name, he paused in the muddled act of singing and turned his head slowly and saw a familiar blur besides him. He smiled dopily, and lifted a hand. "Hey..." he greeted the blur.

"Oh my God, she said you'd come to soon but this fast... how are you?" the feminine voice asked as he felt soft, warm, hands close around his own.

"M'a rocket man," Megamind joked and chuckled once and then sighed, and shut his eyes in an attempt to try and fix his vision. "Roxanne...?" he asked.

"Yes?" she asked back.

"What day... is it?"

"It's... it's Saturday," Roxanne answered.

"Saturday..." Megamind mumbled as his eyes narrowed as he tried to think. "I been... out three days...?" he asked.

"...Saturday the 13th of August," she said carefully, watching his face.

His eyes opened almost immediately and he stared up at the ceiling, before turning his glassy eyes to look at her. "...but... I fought on... July 6th... how many... days is that...?"

"Too many," Roxanne said as she continued to rub his hand in her own, before reaching and smoothing out his eyebrows, and then pressed a quick kiss to his temple. "You really went through the wars. Lady felt it best for your body to recuperate, and you'd be in too much pain to be awake and... oh god you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice." She had known he would be out of it for a long while, but over six weeks? That had been Hell. Total and utter Hell. "Everyone's going to be so happy to hear you're awake..." but she wouldn't go run to tell them just yet. She needed time with him, just the two of them.

His hand finally squeezed back against her own, and he smiled faintly.

"'m happy too, if I've been out so long... what's happened...?" he asked faintly. "What have I missed...?"

Roxanne chewed her bottom lip. "Well, not much to be totally honest... the fight became pretty much an urban myth. People think they know how it happened, or why, but we didn't say anything. You're now an urban legend yourself, and you're being spotted everywhere," she chuckled at that one.

"Yay..." Megamind smiled, shutting his eyes on a tired sigh. Waking up was exhausting, why was that?

"Last time they saw you, you were playing in a band in Mexico," Roxanne smirked.

"Always wanted to go to Mexico," he mumbled.

"I also moved my stuff in," she added, which made his eyes open and turn his attention to her. "I still own my apartment, I'm just renting it out now. It just felt... like home, here. Plus it meant I was close to you."

"Couldn't go without me, hm?" Megamind asked with a faint grin.

"Yes, yes." Roxanne rolled her eyes. "If you didn't have morning breath from a month I'd kiss you right now, but. Well. You know. Morning breath."

"Ugh. I need a toothbrush stat." He licked his tongue over his teeth and shuddered when he felt how fuzzy they felt. He moved his free hand and wiped at his eyes, shutting them as he did. "How's Wayne..? Bernard? Minion...?"

"They're all doing good. Wayne's back at work as a fireman, Bernard's back at his library position and Minion... he's keeping very busy." She cast a glance over her shoulder nervously.

"Busy? Well he likes that..." Megamind admitted as he opened his eyes. "Are they here? What... what time is it?" He turned his head to look at a clock and it read 11:45am. If it was Saturday, Bernard may be at work... and depending on Wayne's schedule he might be out too.

"Minion's downstairs working on dinner. Everyone else is out," Roxanne explained.

"Right..."

She sat there watching him, wanting to say so much. That she had been to the doctor four weeks ago to have blood tests taken to find out if she was what her mother thought she was. To tell him that Minion had been a flurry with activity because he had been designing baby clothes and wanting to build a nursery right _now_, and that her pregnancy was also another reason why she had moved in the manor. But how could she tell him that now? He had just woken up from a month of being under. He was in no fit state to learn this now, not like this, and she would have to make sure Minion wouldn't blurt it out either now! Ugh. It was a mess but... she was so, so glad to see him awake.

Instead of admitting all this to him, Roxanne carefully lay down on the bed beside him, and shut her eyes with a pleased sigh as he draped an arm over her in an attempt to pull her close. She complied, and buried her forehead against his shoulder gently.

"I love you," she whispered. "So much."

"I know," Megamind replied with a soft smile as his thumb rubbed against her arm. "I love you more."

She couldn't help but chuckle, and instead of kissing his lips she pressed a soft kiss to his neck before settling back down, and let her eyes slip shut with a content sigh.

_To be continued_


	31. Congratulations

"Now, I know this is going to be hard to swallow at first but it's something I need to tell you. And as you know, I'm not the kind of woman to mince her words. I've just never been that way inclined in my life, and being a reporter kind of helped that aspect along. But now I'm getting off the subject. Look. Fact of the matter is... I'm pregnant. I know. I know, you thought you couldn't have children, but somehow this worked and I'm now pregnant with your baby. I've been to see Lady's father, who used to work as a obstetrician before he had been pulled into the world of vampire hunting and healing by marrying his wife, and he confirmed it. I know we haven't been together long, but I need to really know how you feel about this so-no. No, no. No."

Roxanne took another breath.

"Want to see a magic trick? Poof, you're going to be a dad."

She snorted and shook her head.

"Megamind, you know how you once told me that you accepted me as your apprentice because you felt you'd never have any children to teach? Well..."

The woman groaned and pressed her hands to her eyes, blocking the reflection of herself in the mirror to which she was talking to. It was important she knew what she was going to tell her boyfriend when the time came, and just how to deliver it. This was a life-changing piece of information she was going to be telling him, letting him know that he was going to be a father. Would he even want a child? What if he was against the idea? They hadn't ever talked about children before but that had been painfully obvious why. With the looming war and escalation of attacks, their relationship had barely had time to cool, and already she had a baby growing inside of her.

What if he didn't want a thing to do with her, after she told him? _No. He isn't like that._ Roxanne had seen how he acted around his nieces and nephews. The man had a great big soft spot for kids, even if he had been training them in how to fight. Oh God. Would he teach their child to fight, too? The sudden realization her baby could be out there slicing throats of vampires and slamming stakes into their chests made her realize just why Nina had left in the first place.

The woman and Roxanne had spoken a few times when she had come to visit over the course of the past month, and she found the woman nice enough to get along with. She was very different from her mother, yet there were similar aspects each mother seemed to hold. And in eight months she would join that rank of women. Hopefully.

They still had so much to plan, as well. Their Father's funeral had to be held, but his final wishes in his will (that had been written so long ago) were that he wanted it to be a private affair. He didn't want all the family there, only his immediate sons and anyone they may have close to them at that time. It was almost as if he knew he would never see them as adults... but it still had to be held, and Roxanne was still toying with the idea of inviting Nina.

Nina, who Megamind still hadn't met with. That was another thing they hadn't told him about. The alien had so much to adjust to after his surgery; Roxanne wondered just who would break it to him that the mother who had left him and Wayne behind all those years ago was suddenly in contact with them. Roxanne knew they couldn't keep it quiet and had told Wane straight on that he should tell Megamind once he was made aware of her pregnancy. Who knows, he might be able to approach her for help, or information on babies since a lot of her memory had come flooding back in the past month.

But that was only if he did want to speak to her. At this point, nobody really knew how he'd react.

She walked to the bed and sat down, and immediately regretted it. A sudden wave of dizziness struck and she pressed a hand to her still-flat stomach, and groaned. "Oh sure, you're going to give me trouble now aren't you?" she asked weakly.

Naturally, the baby ignored her.

Why couldn't she tell him as plainly as she had told the rest of the guys? She had called a small family meeting and the three men, Wayne, Bernard, and of course Minion, had sat on the couch while she stood in front of them.

"Are we in trouble?" Minion asked meekly.

"No, no," she had smiled shakily. "You're not."

"So why the meeting?" Bernard asked. "Are we having sex too loud again?"

Wayne turned a deep shade of crimson and Minion pointedly ignored the question with ever fibre in his fishy being.

"Ah, no. No you're not. You're actually being pretty good to be honest," Roxanne replied, hoping her blush wasn't making her freckles stand out too much.

"So?" the librarian asked. "What's up?"

"I went to see Lady's father today," she said, before looking down at her hands and cleaned one of her nails with another.

"Why, are you sick?" Minion asked.

"No. I'm not sick," Roxanne replied.

"So why did you go-" Wayne started.

"I'm pregnant."

You could hear a pin drop the house had gone so quiet. Even an owl outside the window that had been hooting most of the evening suddenly shut up too. The varying degrees of surprise on the men's faces were almost comical. Bernard's eyebrows had vanished into his mess of hair while Wayne's mouth hung open only slightly with a look of surprise on his face. Minion, meanwhile, had his jaw hanging open in shock and his fins hanging down beneath his body.

"Megamind's the father, isn't he?" Wayne asked after easing himself down from his surprise. While he didn't think Roxanne the type of girl to cheat on his brother, he too was of the same mind that Megamind as well as himself could never have children with human women.

"Yes," Roxanne admitted.

"Oh wow," Bernard whispered finally. "Wow."

"I know," she said, rubbing one of her elbows.

"I didn't... think it was possible..." Wayne mumbled, lifting a hand to stroke his beard which was more than just fuzz now. But he refused to grow it out too long, less he start to look like a biker. "Obviously his cells are really adaptable or his genetics aren't that different to humans at all..."

"Congratulations Miss Ritchi!" Minion was off of his feet suddenly and his huge gorilla-like arms were wrapping around her shoulders, hugging her. "Oh, Sir is going to be so happy to find out when he wakes up!"

"Is he?" Bernard asked, bemused by the fish's actions.

"Of course he will!" Minion readily defended his best friend and boss. "He's going to be thrilled!"

"You'll let me be the one to tell him won't you?" Roxanne asked once Minion let her go, after thanking him for his congratulations. "I don't want any of you blurting it out to him before he's ready to find out. He's going to be a wreck after he wakes up."

"We don't want him passing out again after having only just woken up, after all," Bernard mused, tapping his own chin.

"Bernard!" Roxanne chided, but secretly prayed that what he joked about wouldn't actually happen.

"I'm kidding!" Bernard replied, holding his hands up in a surrendering manner. "I'm kidding. I won't say anything. I'll shoot myself with a silver bullet if I say anything to him."

"Don't leave it too long though, Roxanne," Wayne warned. "My brother's pretty perceptive if a bit childish at times. He's going to notice if you start having sick days, and even more so when the bump begins to show." He gestured to her stomach.

"I know. I know. But I have to let him recover first."

They all had agreed that would be the best strategy, but that had been then. This was now. Megamind was now up and about the house, back to working out in the mornings, and went out at nights chasing up straggling vampires that felt lost without the presence of their master. He had, of course, boasted about the 'awesome' scars he now had on his body. His left shoulder showed the visible bite marks left by Dracula, and his stomach had a jagged scar where his sword had pierced himself. He also had multiple smaller scars running along his arms and back that he didn't have before.

How Roxanne didn't break into tears at seeing him shirtless for the first time since their tryst together, she didn't know.

But he was healthy now. He was his old self, and they were now sleeping together in his bed. Every night she'd crawl into bed and he'd arrive somewhere past midnight, sometimes not at all.

Many of the vampires had actually shown up in the woods surrounding the Manor sometimes. It was like they were suicidal, coming so close to a slayer's known location, but Megamind, being far more attuned to the sense of their presence than before, would race off into the night whenever that happened. Normally he and the rest of them would be resting after a long day's work, and suddenly Megamind would be grabbing his jacket and weapons before bolting from the door with little to no explanation.

Then there were the nights _she_ was called out to work on urgent matters, leaving Megamind alone in the bed. It felt as though life itself didn't want her telling him the news of her pregnancy either. But it was a quiet day so far, a nice cool August evening. Bernard and Wayne had gone out to see a movie together, and Minion was outside tending to the garden. She was watching him from the window in her bedroom now. Bless the fish, he had already designed so many little clothes she couldn't help but feel a giddy rush of happiness whenever she saw them.

Just how he had continued to hide them from Megamind was a mystery.

She sighed and shut her eyes for a moment, glad the dizziness had passed without incident. Thankfully it seemed as though her early stages of pregnancy weren't going to be plagued by vomiting, but that could only be because her mother hadn't suffered _any_ ill effects from her pregnancies. She had to thank her mother for her genetics once she let her know the truth about her daughter.

It was obvious just how deep in her thoughts the woman was since she hadn't even heard Megamind enter the room, shut the door behind him, and walk up behind her. She jumped when his arms suddenly wrapped around her middle. "Oh!" she laughed slightly and turned her head slightly to look at him, smiling. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Megamind apologized, breath warm against her exposed neck. Needless to say, it sent a pleasant little shiver down her spine.

She was suddenly aware of the fact they were very much alone in the house, how close her boyfriend was, and that they hadn't been _together_ since that one night over a month ago. Roxanne shuddered as he seemed to be thinking the same thing, since one of his hands slowly slid down her side in a smooth caress and his lips found her neck. "Oh..." she sighed, letting her eyes slip shut. "In a mood, are we...?" she asked softly.

"You could say that," Megamind replied with a smile against her neck before he guided her around so they were facing each other. "You're so beautiful, you know that right?" he asked.

Roxanne felt the blush spread and she laughed it off. Compliments from him still continued to make her feel like a school girl with a crush... but she could probably chalk it up to her hormones too. "And you are incredibly handsome," she replied, lifting a hand and touched the tip of his nose with a finger.

"I know. Great match, aren't we?" he asked with a grin before he stepped back, but kept his hands on her waist and back, gently moving her with him with purpose towards the bed behind them. "Exceedingly beautiful woman and incredibly handsome man, why, anybody would be jealous of us if they saw us together." She saw him slowly sit on the bed but he pulled her in close, so his knees pressed against her legs while she remained standing for now. Her hands found his shoulders and she carefully touched his left one, still unsure if it was tender to him.

"They would..." she mumbled as she bent over and bumped her forehead against his as their eyes remained locked. "But I like keeping you to myself. You're all mine."

"Every part," Megamind replied, before he could no longer contain it and kissed her smoothly. Roxanne's eyes finally shut and she sighed heavily into the kiss as her arms locked around the back of his head as she kissed him in return. She became aware of his hands having found their way under her shirt but didn't break the kiss as his warm, ungloved hands touched her back.

Clothes suddenly felt incredibly tight and unneccessary, not only to her, but the both of them.

She was barely registering the fact that not ten minutes later she was without her shirt, skirt, and her underwear. When had that happened? When had she and Megamind ended up in the bed under the covers with one another, touching each other in private places? His kisses left her dizzy and yearning for more, and every touch sent shivers through her body. God, she had missed this. Even if they had only made love that night in her apartment a month ago it suddenly felt like a lifetime had passed between then and now.

Roxanne felt a jolt rush through her when his hand suddenly pushed against her stomach and she was suddenly painfully aware of what she still hadn't told him. He had to know. He had a right to know. She had said she would tell him when he was better and my _God_ was he better right now. Her mind suddenly became a raging storm of thoughts and Megamind was oblivious to the storm in his girlfriend's mind whilst his was driven by a single purpose at this moment.

Her hands gripped at the back of his head and his back desperately and her mouth fell open.

"I'm pregnant!"

It hadn't been what she had wanted to say, truly it wasn't. She had wanted to say anything else at this very moment but the words had escaped her faster than she could stop them. Those two words seemed to hang suspended in the air above them as Megamind had suddenly stopped everything he was doing, and that included both thinking, and breathing.

The man was still knelt over her, blanket warm against his lower back while the rest of him was exposed to the room's warmth. Roxanne was still beneath him, yes he could feel her there, and he had to make sure his heart was beating. After a moment he finally heard it in his ears, as the world began to slowly restart itself from where it had been jarringly stopped seconds before. He pulled back to look at her with large eyes, and the blue in his cheeks being replaced with a pale sky blue.

"...but I haven't... even..."

"N-no, no..." Roxanne said shakily, gently gripping at his back as a looming fear of him suddenly bolting filled her heart. "I... I've been pregnant a month... remember? The night I killed Hal, you... you came around..."

"Yes I remember it well," Megamind mumbled before he looked down at her exposed body, before back to her face. "...I... I didn't think I could..."

"I didn't either," she replied quietly. _Oh God please don't ask if I think it's somebody else's. Please don't._

Megamind shifted against her slowly, before he lay down beside her in the bed now, as his hand ran the length of her until it found her stomach. The alien stared at that part of her anatomy for a moment as his thumb caressed the smooth skin, before looking back up at her. "You're sure?"

"Mmhm. I saw Lady's father and... and he confirmed it," she replied, praying the fear in her voice wasn't as obvious as it felt like it was.

He nodded numbly before looking back down at his hand over her stomach.

Megamind didn't know what to think at first. Roxanne was pregnant? How was that scientifically possible? He was an alien, a being of another planet; his DNA shouldn't be compatible with anyone, anywhere. Had she slept with another man while he was asleep? What if she had gotten drunk and some man had taken advantage of the woman? No. Roxanne never drank to the point of being that wasted... and she would have told him if she had been taken advantage of. If she had, he would go and rip the man to pieces with his bare hands no matter how big and intimidating he might be. Yet he knew she would never sleep with another man while she waited for him; even if he hadn't known her three months yet, he knew so much more of her than she thought.

This was a scientific miracle. That's what this was. He made a mental note to do a DNA compatibility test with both of their DNA to see if it actually was possible. But what was he thinking, of course it was possible. She said she was pregnant and Roxanne would never lie about this to him, she had no reason to do it. Most women would lie about pregnancy to keep a man with her but she already knew he loved her, and that he would be with her always. She had even moved into the manor to be close to him, even when he was asleep. If that wasn't a sign that the two deeply cared for one another, then what was?

A _baby._

She was going to have a baby. What would it look like? What if it was deformed? Sick in some way? What if he had doomed Roxanne to having a baby with a big head and caused complications for her? Would the child be welcome in the world or would it have to be shut away like he had been? What would they name it? Would it be blue, or peach colored? What if it had a mental disability or something else because its parents were of different species? What would this do to Roxanne's reputation, or her job? How would her parents and family react to this? Did having a baby mean marriage, too? Would she be able to give birth safely? Would Lady be their doctor, or her father? Would it go smoothly or would she need a C-section?

All these ugly questions bounced around in his head until he pushed them away violently, locking them behind a door where all the rest of his worries and concerns in his life lived. He had to look at this for what it was; a miracle. Roxanne was making life, right now, inside her body and it was his child. A little innocent life that had no knowledge of the world outside. It didn't know that its father was an alien, or a vampire slayer. It knew nothing of monsters. In fact it knew nothing at all.

He envied the baby already.

"Ethelwine?"

She was using his real name, and that meant she was concerned. That was the only reason why anyone would use the name his Father had given him. Shaking his head once, Megamind looked at her and smiled faintly. "Sorry. I zoned out didn't I?"

"For a while." Roxanne replied quietly. "You scared me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," he said before he settled down beside her properly, resting his head on the pillow beside her own. "This is just... a lot to take in."

"I know," she said quietly.

She watched him carefully and wondered just what was going on in that genius mind of his. Was he thinking of everything that was going to happen, or what could happen? What if he was thinking of how to break it off with her now, and send her on her merry way? _No he is not like that stop thinking that!_ The fears and emotions suddenly got the better of her and she choked out a sob before quickly covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

"Hey hey hey...!" Megamind had his arms around her instantly, pulling her close and hugged her tight as he dare. "No, no, no. Don't cry, please don't. Why are you crying?"

"I've been so scared that you wouldn't want it, o-or me. I don't know. All these stupid emotions making me all...!" Roxanne was unable to finish the sentence due to another racking sob raising from her chest.

"Wouldn't... Roxanne!" he chided her softly, pressing soft kisses to her face. "Don't you dare. Don't you _dare_! I may be many things, I may be an alien, a vampire slayer, and a guy who looks damn good in leather pants but I am not the type of man who would throw his pregnant girlfriend out of his life. What kind of a man do you think I am?" he asked her, finding her lips and kissed her despite the salty taste due to her tears. "I love you. I love you so much. I would never tell you to leave, not after making my life everything it is."

Roxanne couldn't answer him with words, not any more. This had gone so awkwardly, but they had seemingly agreed on the fact she was keeping the baby, and that he was keeping _her_ too. A wave of relief crashed down upon the flames that were her fears and extinguished them, and she sobbed again as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her head into his chest. She loved him; she had loved him ever since he had come into her life and turned her world upside down. He had saved her life but he had also opened a door she didn't even know existed before. It was not only full of the supernatural and spooky things, but also love, adoration on a level she never thought she would experience.

To think all it took was almost getting eaten by a vampire to get her here.

When she finally found her voice again, she couldn't help but smile against his chest. "You... realize this means you're going to have to meet my parents, right?"

Megamind, also known as Ethelwine, had faced down countless numbers of vampires since he was a teenager. He had even taken down Dracula with his blood, well-chosen words, and his Father's sword. He had never known fear for himself but for those around him, but suddenly at the idea of meeting Roxanne's parents he felt... not fear, but something close to it. Nerves? Apprehension? He didn't know since he had never felt this before. He opened his eyes and peered down at her.

"I... kind of told them you're a lawyer by the way. I couldn't tell them you fight vampires or, or that you're an alien. Not yet. I think that's... that's something we'll have to ease them into. Carefully. Did I mention my father was in the army his whole life?" Roxanne asked feebly, glancing up at him with a sorry expression on her face.

"Well that certainly makes things a whole lot easier," he replied playfully, tapping her nose this time with his finger. "A lawyer, huh?"

"Hmm hmm. I mean that'd explain you being away a lot, right?" she asked.

"I guess so. But no other lies for now," Megamind said firmly. "We met outside a club one night, and I helped you home and we happened to run into each other again at that gala. We'll just... leave out the vampires. Sound right?" he asked.

Roxanne nodded before settling down against him, suddenly feeling so very tired. "Sorry I ruined our moment," she mumbled.

"Ah, that's all right," Megamind replied with a chuckle as he got comfortable with his girlfriend and... Well, mother-to-be of his child. "We can go at it later."

She laughed and slapped his arm playfully before he kissed her deeply, to which she readily returned with gusto. Yes, this had gone far better than she had thought... but she still couldn't help but what kind of future the two of them now had to look forward to thanks to the life growing inside of her. No doubt it would be far from easy, there'd be hurdles, but with this blue knight in black leather she knew that they would get through it.

Together.

**The End**

The Story continues in **Under Our Wings** now available!


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